Hogwarts and the Shinobi
by Wings of the Night
Summary: In Harry's fifth year of Hogwarts, Dumbledore decided to hire guards to protect the school. Kakashi, Naruto, Sakura, Sai, Neji and Gaara were sent on this mission for a year. Will they succeed in their mission in the world of magic?
1. Assembled

**Disclaimer:** Is there really a need for me to do this? I do not own Naruto or Harry Potter. All I own is the story I created.

Pairings identified in this story: Neji/Sakura, Naruto/Hinata (Trying my hand out at Neji and Sakura XD)

**Summary: **In Harry's Fifth year at Hogwarts, Dumbledore decided to hire guards for the school. He found the existence of the Five Great Nations in one of his books. Intrigued, he held tight on the lead and finally got the aid from the Godaime of Konoha. Kakashi, Naruto, Sakura, Sai, Neji and (surprisingly) Gaara were sent out to this mission, plunging the shinobis into the world of magic and wonder.

Author's Notes: This is my first try at a Naruto/Harry Potter crossover. Hope you like it!

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Chapter 1 – Assembled 

Tsunade took another swig from her sake bottle as she read a report from one of the ANBU teams that had just returned from their mission. The buxom blonde sighed in irritation as she lowered the report. Her days are now filled with endless reports, sake, and frequent trips to the Konoha Hospital. It used to be fun.

Tsunade tossed the report on the desk with the other papers and leaned into her chair. It used to be fun. Now it's dull and a pain in the ass.

A knock sounded on the door and in came Shizune, holding a stack of paper.

"Tsunade-sama, here's some paper work the council wants you to look over."

"Thank you, Shizune. You may go now." Tsunade nodded her thanks as Shizune place the documents on her overflowing desk. As the door clicked shut once again, Tsunade snapped.

"Damn council and their damn paperwork! Probably just some stupid paper explaining some stupid thing about something insignificant! Bunch of old geezer who does nothing all day and entertain themselves by making me miserable!" Tsunade took a big swig from her almost-empty sake bottle before slamming the china back down. She grabbed the documents Shizune just handed in and turned to the window.

"Well, I say they could screw themselves! I'm already doing shit loads of work and here they are, thinking they could dump more on me!" Tsunade freed one of her hands to unlock and open the window. "Hah! Let's see what they think of this!" Just as the stack of paper were about to go out the window and into the village of Konoha, a sharp crack sounded behind her. Swiftly looking back without letting go of the documents, Tsunade sent a kunai towards the sound. The weapon landed a millimetre next to the foot of an old man with strange clothing, who twitched slightly.

"I'll give you ten seconds to explain yourself why you're in my office without permission, or you can consider your life forfeit." The Hokage said coldly, her hand already containing another kunai.

The old man was an oddity. He wore long midnight-blue robes – a style which Tsunade had never seen before. His long silver beard and hair is longer than anyone she had ever known. Blue eyes peered at the hokage through half-moon spectacles, which rested on his long crooked nose. The man held up his hands in peace.

"Please, if you would give me time, I shall explain myself."

Tsunade pocketed her weapon and shoved the paperwork out the window, and watched them danced merrily in the wind. She wasn't about to forget her 'revenge' because of an old man. As she turned around, she saw the man's eye twinkling behind his glasses. Despite herself, Tsunade coughed with slight embarrassment. She sensed no killing intent from this odd man, so she sat down behind her desk and gestured for him to sit as well.

"Well, then, perhaps you best start explaining now before I change my mind."

The old man inclined his head.

"I don't believe I've had the chance to introduce myself. I am Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

* * *

Tsunade sighed and leaned back into her chair after the headmaster finished his explanation. This is just not her day today. She needed to think. Apparently Dumbledore needed guards for his magic school, particularly for one Harry Potter. The amount of money he had offered was astoundingly high. Dumbledore waited patiently as the leader of the village sort out her thoughts. Tsunade opened her eyes and looked at headmaster. 

"Well Professor Dumbledore, this is a huge request you ask of me. But the village needed the money." The slug master looked out the window. "Unfortunately most of our ANBU teams are away on missions and the remaining squads need to stay to protect the village. Since quite a few jounins are also in the squads…" Tsunade started muttering to herself. Then she made a decision.

"I will accept your request."

Dumbledore smiled in relief. He did not know much of this mysterious group of people. He had found an ancient book in his study on this place, and it took weeks of research to be finally able to arrive here. The people here seemed efficient, though there will be a language barrier once they got to Hogwarts. He's not sure if the people would drink a language potion willingly as he had done.

"Shizune," Tsunade said over the intercom.

"Hai, Hokage-sama?"

"Get me Team 7, Hyuuga Neji, and try to locate and bring me to the Kazekage. And make sure Kakashi's not late. I need them here immediately."

"Hai."

Tsunade shifted through the piles of her disorganized desk (much to the amusement of Dumbledore) and found a leaf of sake stained paper. It was a letter from Kankuro and Temari from Suna a week ago. They were worried about their little brother for he's taking on too much stress for their taste. The trio from Suna had arrived in Konoha yesterday, hoping to relax the young Kazekage. Tsunade wondered if Gaara would oppose to a year long mission.

"Lemon drop?" Dumbledore offered the sweet to the Hokage suddenly. Tsunade blinked, and warily accepted it. It was good. "Would the people take long?"

Tsunade shook her head negative.

"The team should be arriving shortly…"

The intercom buzzed again. In came Shizune's voice.

"The Kazekage-sama is coming up, Hokage-sama."

"Thanks."

The door opened. Revealing Gaara and his siblings. Sand sifted around him. Jade eyes settled on the foreigner, then on the Hokage.

"Ah, please close the door. I have something with a matter of importance to discuss with you."

* * *

"That was sooooo gooood." Naruto sighed contently and patted his stomach, his blue eyes narrowed in contentment. Six empty ramen bowls was piled together in front of him. 

"Don't be such a pig Naruto," Sakura bopped the Kyuubi container on the head. "What would Hinata say?"

"Why not? After all, Gai-sensei's paying." A blushing Naruto replied. He and the shy Hyuuga heiress had been going out for two weeks now.

The said sensei was currently crying over the total amount spent in Ichiruka's. Why is Gai paying for the whole Team 7 and his own team you ask? Why, 'tis simple! Gai had challenged Kakashi to yet another stupid challenge. The looser will need to pay for lunch for both teams (since their ex-pupils were present as well). The challenge was to ask as many women their phone numbers in fifteen minutes (It was the Copy Nin's turn to set the challenge, and he wasn't about to pay for anything!). And so naturally, Gai lost.

A gloomy spot in the corner was Gai, sobbing to his heart's content. How can ramen be so expensive? He watched as Neji and Sakura talked. Their hands linked together under the table. The taijutsu master's demeanour changed in a blink of an eye. 'Ah, young love, in the Spring of Youth!' Gai made his famous 'good-guy' pose at the confused couple, blinding them in the process of his infamous sparkling smile.

"Why's Gai looking at us like that?" Sakura asked her boyfriend of one month.

"I don't know. And frankly, I don't want to know. Just don't make eye contact." Neji replied, shielding Sakura from the blinding shine.

A poof just outside Ichiruka's alerted the shinobis. Yamamoto's bandaged face and spiked hair appeared inside the shop.

"Hokage-sama requested Team 7 and Hyuuga Neji to her office immediately." Yamamoto had then teleported away, no doubt to run other errands. The five stood up and bid Gai, Lee and Tenten farewell before heading towards the Hokage Tower. As they jumped from roof-to-roof, Naruto yelled across to his friends.

"I wonder what 'baa-san wants?"

"Let's just get there and ask her ourselves." Sakura yelled back. The group arrived at the tower shortly, and was now climbing the stairs towards Tsunade's office. On the way, they encountered Kankuro and Temari coming down.

"Oh, hey!" Naruto greeted enthusiastically. "Wacha doin'? You visiting the hag? Where's Gaara?"

"You'll know when you get there." The painted man smirked. "It's quite interesting."

Without saying anything else, the siblings left.

Curiosity rising by the minute, the group arrived at Tsunade's office in record timing. Kakashi opened the door.

"You wanted to see us?" The masked man noticed Gaara and an old man in the room.

Tsunade nodded. The group filtered into the room and stood to attention (after Naruto had waved happily at the stoic Gaara).

"I am assigning you to a year-long mission in the country of our client – Professor Dumbledore here." The odd man inclined his head in greeting. "The aim is to protect his school and one student in particular that goes by the name of Harry Potter. The Kazekage would be coming with you. Shikamaru would join you in a few months' time after he's finished his missions and other tasks here in Konoha. This is an A-ranked mission. Pack accordingly and come back here. Kakashi, I'm assigning you as team leader, here is the mission scroll with all the details and further background of this assignment."

Dazed at the turn of events, Kakashi accepted the scroll.

The packing only took fifteen minutes, after which the five teleported back to the office. Dumbledore was holding a sheep-skinned glove and tapped it with a wooden stick, muttering under his breath. Neji raised his eyebrow as his pearl white eyes looked on. 'Is he senile?'

Dumbledore peered at the group of six in front of him from behind his half-moon glasses.

"Thank you all for this. I am very grateful we will have some help this year. Now, if you don't mind, we will need to be off shortly. Please touch this glove in my hand. A finger would do."

The shinobis stared but complied.

"I feel stupid." Naruto complained.

"No surprises there." Sai muttered.

"Dumbledore-san, what is…" Sakura started but felt a pull at her navel. She gave a shriek of surprise.

Tsunade stared at the spot where an old man, two jounins, one chuunin, one genin, one ex-ROOT, and one Kazekage had disappeared. She can't help but forget to mention something…

The Hokage took a swig at the now full bottle of sake that Dumbledore had replenished for her with that stick…Her eyes widened. Oh! That's right! She forgot to mention that the mission revolved around magic. She doubted the group had time to read the mission scroll. Oh well. Tsunade shrugged, leaning back in her chair. Her ninjas are smart; they'd figure it out, as if the method of transportation weren't enough.

Tsunade stared out the window at the blue sky. She's feeling kind of sleepy…a few hours of sleeping wouldn't hurt.

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Rate and Review! More details would be given in the next chapter XD 


	2. No 12 Grimmauld Place, London

**Disclaimer:** Same as before

**Author's Note:** Wheee ! Thanks a bunch to those who reviewed so quickly! To answer some questions, yes, Naruto and co. will use their normal ninjitsus and stuff instead of magic, Draco bashing is sadly unavailable this chapter, but may come in in the next or the chapter after that. But not to worry! It will definately be in this story! I kinda suck at introducing the characters to each other, and anybody who read Harry Potter would know that I've added some paragraphs from the actual book in here. Of course I've twisted some of them but most of the paragraph come straight from the book. I say this now, I do not own the book, I just put the paragraphs in to make it more realistic. The Shinobis will get more part in the story in the next chapter lol

Enjoy!

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Chapter 2 – No. 12 Grimmauld Place, London 

The swirling seemed to stop. The group felt gravity pull them down. Albus Dumbledore along with six shinobis, landed feet first on the floorboards of Number 12, Grimmauld Place, London.

"Wha – " Naruto started.

"I must be dreaming…" Sakura blinked rapidly.

Kakashi unrolled the mission scroll. A quick scan in the first paragraph told him all he needed to know. With a sigh and muttered a phrase suspiciously like a quote from a certain Nara boy, he handed the scroll to the rest of the team. As the group of teenagers read it over, Kakashi turned to Gaara.

"Just to satisfy my curiosity, why did you come? Won't your village have in need for you?"

Gaara grunted unhappily.

"Apparently my siblings have took it upon themselves to sending me off to a 'vacation'. The village is in their hands now."

A polite cough alerted the two to the headmaster, who's holding out a flask containing an aqua coloured potion.

"This will help with your language. I learnt yours by drinking this. One sip each would do." After seeing the dubious gaze from Kakashi, the headmaster smiled in reassurance. "Don't worry, it's not poisonous. Though I won't say it tastes good though."

The Copy Nin accepted the flask, eyeing it before taking a quick sip through his mask. He passed it onto Gaara who did the same.

"EHHHH?!"

It seems like the rest of the shinobis had read the scroll.

"Sensei! You can't be serious…!" Naruto's mouth suddenly found the flask and took a gulp of the vile liquid.

"GAH!" The fox boy scrambled away from Gaara. "Teme! What are you doing?"

"Something to help with this world's language." He passed it on to Sakura. As the rest of the group took turns drinking it, Dumbledore was briefing Kakashi on the current situation and explanation of this new environment they're in.

"Professor?" A plump woman with red hair entered the living room through the kitchen. "Oh, you've brought them!"

"Ah, Molly, I would leave them in your care for now then. Harry should be arriving in a few hours won't he?"

"Yes, yes of course. Come now, oh my, you all could do with a bit of food." Mrs Weasley shooed the confused shinobis into the basement kitchen.

"I shall see you at school then." Dumbledore smiled, then Disapparated with a crack.

Naruto stared.

"How come his teleportation is different than ours?"

"Because we use different methods, dumbass." Sai said.

The woman in front of them cut off Naruto's reply.

"Now take a seat, take a seat. I'll whip up something quick for you. You hungry Arthur?"

A thin, balding red-haired man who wore horn-rimmed glasses at the table shook his head negative.

"No, that's alright Molly, I'm fine." The man looked at the strangely dressed group and smiled. "I suppose an introduction is in place?"

In the next hour, the shinobis acquainted themselves with the people in the household. They met Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and their children – Bill, Fred and George, Ron and Ginny ("Charlie's in Romania" Mrs. Weasley had said), Sirius Black, and a mousy haired girl called Hermione. The rest, Mr. Weasley had explained, are retrieving Harry and would arrive shortly.

The group were shown to two guest rooms. The kind-hearted woman fussed about the arrangement.

"Terribly sorry there weren't enough rooms here, Sakura dear, maybe you could house with Ginny and Hermione, it will be a bit of a tight fit, but…"

"Oh, no that's okay Mrs. Weasley," Sakura was still astounded by the fact that she could speak English when she never heard of the language before. "I'll be fine with my friends. It's no big deal."

"Well, if you're sure then…" Mrs. Weasley still seemed doubtful, but let the strange foreigners be. "I'll come back up for you when the rest came back with Harry."

As the plump woman went back down the stairs, the group filed into one of the rooms. The events began to catch up onto them.

"Wow! This is totally awesome!" Naruto yelled out in excitement while jumping around. Two portraits are looking at the blonde haired boy strangely. Sai watched as the character in one painting crossed over to the other one. The two characters began to converse in tense whispers.

"This is interesting…" Sai went up to the paintings, examining them.

"Why did Tsunade-shishou send us to this mission so quickly?" Sakura wailed as she flopped down on a narrow bed. "It's so complicated."

Neji sat down next to Sakura while activating his Byakugan, taking a look at the house. Naruto and Gaara joined Sai to watch the moving paintings. Kakashi ran a tired hand through his silver mane before calling his team's attention.

"Well, this is a strange place we've stepped into. According to Dumbledore, we need to protect Harry Potter and the school from the threat of a wizard named Voldemort. But that's not all." Kakashi surveyed the room with his one eye. "There's also this mess of some sort of their government, Ministry of Magic if I'm not mistaken, interfering and saying that Voldemort have not risen and that the headmaster and the Potter boy is lying."

"Eh? Why?" Naruto scratched his whiskered cheek. "I thought the bad guy was real, that's why that 'jii-san hired us didn't he? How much did he offer anyway?"

The sum that Kakashi said made Naruto fall over.

"That much? What about you Gaara?"

"30 percent of your money." Gaara replied. "It's enough for the village to rebuild some of the damaged buildings and such from the Akatsuki."

"Well, you're free to wander around or stay in the rooms. We don't have much to do until the Order meeting started. I'll stay in this room with Neji and Sakura. Naruto and Sai, stay in the other room with Gaara."

Shinobi dispersed one by one until only Neji and Sakura was left. Closing off his Byakugan, the Hyuuga kissed Sakura's temple gently.

"I'm going to go to talk to some people here. You coming?"

"I'll be there in a minute."

"Alright then." With that said, the Hyuuga teleported away.

Sakura sighed at this change of event. Just an hour ago she was enjoying lunch with her friends, and now she's in a foreign country with magic! Sakura laughed softly. Poor Naruto, he's already sixteen, but still haven't had the chance to join in another round of the Chuunin exam. Sai's social skills are getting better, after they had stopped him giving people nicknames anyway. It's a bit surprising for everyone (herself included) when she started dating Neji. He's actually quite sweet in private.

Sakura shook herself out of her musings and stood up. Opening the door, she left to find Neji. As she walked down the staircase, she noticed Kakashi standing at the kitchen door. Some people with what she recognizes as wizard robes were filing into the kitchen. Kakashi signalled Sakura, telling her to get the others. The Order of the Phoenix meeting was starting.

* * *

There were hurried footsteps and Ron's mother, Mrs Weasley, emerged from a door at the far end of the hall. She was beaming in welcome as she hurried towards them, though Harry noticed that she was rather thinner and paler than she had been last time he had seen her. 

"Oh, Harry, it's lovely to see you!" she whispered, pulling him into a rib-cracking hug before holding him at arm's length and examining him critically. "You're looking peaky; you need feeding up, but you'll have to wait a bit for dinner, I'm afraid." She turned to the gang of wizards behind him and whispered urgently, "They've arrived, the meeting's started."

The wizard behind Harry all made noises of interest and excitement and began filing past him towards the door through which Mrs Weasley had just come. Harry noticed that a strangely dress masked man was holding the door open politely for the wizards. The man's eye trained on Harry.

Mrs Weasley, taking him out of sight of the strange man and the place where the meeting was taking place, led Harry hurriedly up the dark staircase. Harry's questions were all brushed off, with Mrs Weasley saying she had to hurry and to ask his questions to Ron and Hermione. She then left Harry on the second landing after directing him to his room, and hurried back downstairs.

Harry crossed the dingy landing, turned the bedroom doorknob, which was shaped like a serpent's head, and opened the door.

* * *

Kakashi watched as the witch led a dark haired boy with glasses up the stairs. A moment later, Mrs Weasley came back down. She smiled in thanks as Kakashi continued to hold the door open for her, and then closed it behind him. His team was stationed around the room, listening to the meeting. Kakashi's brow snapped down as the potion master was once again talking about them. 

"Is letting them here a good idea?" Snape eyed the foreigners with disdain. "After all, they might not be trustworthy."

Gaara's sand swirled by his feet in agitation, though none of the wizards noticed.

"Dumbledore hired them, and that's all we need to know to trust them." Sirius snapped. "And – "

Muffled yells could be heard from upstairs. Kakashi looked at Neji, whom had his Byakugan activated, veins bulging around his eyes. He noted in amusement that a few wizards were finding this a bit squeamish.

"Potter is…uh…expressing his opinions to his friends…" Neji answered his team leader's unspoken question tactfully. This was punctuated by another round of muffled yelling. The wizards then started to argue over Harry.

Kakashi sighed. The meeting was turning meaningless. He nodded to Sai and Sakura. Both nodded back and poofed out of sight. A woman named Tonks glanced up.

"Where'd they go?"

"To see if everything's alright with the kids." Kakashi replied with a happy eye crease.

* * *

"I didn't want anyone to worship – " Harry began hotly. 

"I know you don't," said Hermione quickly, looking frightened. "I _know_, Harry. But you see what they're doing? They want to turn you into someone nobody will believe. Fudge is behind it, I'll bet anything. They want wizards on the street to think you're just some stupid boy who's a bit of a joke, who tells ridiculous tall stories because he loves being famous and wants to keep it going."

"I didn't ask – I didn't want – _Voldemort killed my parents_!" Harry spluttered. "I got famous because he murdered my family but couldn't kill me! Who wants to be famous for that? Don't they think I'd rather it'd never – "

Sai and Sakura were listening outside the door. Sakura was feeling more sympathetic to the boy in every passing second. He's like Naruto, but the situation now is worse than the Kyuubi container. Being called a liar, where no one believed the horrendous things he went through must be a harsh blow. Sai however, was detached about the whole incident, and was wondering how there could be so much unreasonable emotions coming from the boy.

"…told them to keep that quiet. That should've been a really big story, out-of-control Dementors. They haven't even reported that you broke the International Statute of Secrecy. We thought they would, it would tie in so well with this image of you as some stupid show-off. We think…"

"Dementors?" Sai asked. Sakura shrugged. She doesn't get what this International Statute of Secrecy thing is. They went back to the conversation.

"…_if_ you're expelled, obviously. You really shouldn't be, not if they abide by their own laws, there's no case against you."

The sound of footsteps came up the stairs alerted the two shinobis and apparently the occupants inside the room as well.

"Uh oh."

A loud crack sounded in the room just as Mrs Weasley came onto the landing.

"Oh, hello, Mr Hatake wanted you to go back down." She then opened the door to the bedroom. "The meeting's over, you can come down and have dinner now. Everyone's dying to see you, Harry. And who left all those Dungbombs outside the kitchen door?"

The teens in the bedroom saw the retreating backs of Sai and Sakura, and wondered if they overheard their conversation. It was Ginny who answered her mother's question.

"Crookshanks," said Ginny unblushingly. "He loves playing with them."

* * *

Sai and Sakura made their brief report to Kakashi as wizards and witches filed into the hall, ready to leave. As the large group continued their conversations in whispers, Neiji saw a group of teens on the landings where the bedrooms are. He watched discreetly as a flesh coloured string was lowered towards the wizards. But the group have moved towards the front door and out into the night air. 

A few seconds later, the teens had come down from the landing. Harry was looking at the shinobis.

"Who're they?"

"Oh, yeah, we forgot the tell you…" Hermione cut off her sentence when Mrs Weasley spoke.

"We're eating down in the kitchen," Mrs Weasley whispered, "Harry, dear, if you'll just tiptoe across the hall it's through this door here – "

CRASH.

The shinobis drew their kunai out, earning a soft gasp from Hermione and a gaped mouth Ron and Harry.

"_Tonks!_" cried Mrs Weasley in exasperation, turning to look behind her.

"I'm sorry!" wailed Tonks, who was lying flat on the floor. "It's that stupid umbrella stand, that's the second time I've tripped over – "

But the rest of her words were drowned by a horrible, ear-splitting, blood-curdling screech. Kakashi winced.

The moth-eaten velvet curtains Harry had passed earlier had flown apart, but there was no door behind them. For a split second, Harry thought he was looking through a window, a window behind which an old woman in a black cap was screaming and screaming as though she was being tortured. All along the hall behind them, the other portraits awoke and began to yell too.

Tonks was apologizing furiously, while Mrs Weasley ran along the hall to stun the portraits. Harry noticed that the six strangers were standing around the screaming woman's portrait, not sure how to shut the woman up. A man with long black hair skidded into the hall.

"Shut up, you horrible old hag, shut UP! Kakashi, just close the curtains and that hag would shut her trap."

The old woman in the life sized portrait blanched.

"_Yoooou!_" She howled, her eyes popping at the sight of the man. "_Blood traitor, abomination, shame of my flesh!_"

The silver haired man with the masked face was having trouble shutting the curtains. Lupin was in the hall now. He and Sirius were about to help when Kakashi stepped aside for a pink haired girl. She seized the curtains and glared at the portrait with her emerald eyes.

"SHUT UP YOU HAG." Sakura closed the curtains with a powerful snap. The old woman's screeches died and an echoing silence fell. Harry saw the strangers nursing their abused ears, just as he was doing.

"Hello, Harry," Harry's godfather turned to face him after nodding his thanks to the pink haired girl. "I see you've met my mother."

"Your –?"

"My dear old mum, yeah." Said Sirius.

"And who are they?" Harry pointed to the strangers.

"Oh, we'll do the introductions down at the kitchen. They're guards hired by Dumbledore to protect the school, you as well."

"Guards? Why is there a portrait of your mother in the house anyway?"

"Hasn't anyone told you? This was my parent's house…"

As godfather and godson continued to talk while going to the kitchen, the shinobis hung back.

"My ears!" Naruto wailed. "I think they're bleeding!"

Kakashi was silent; no doubt his head was still ringing. He had the most sensitive hearing and sense of smell in the whole group after all.

"That horrendous creature is Sirius-san's mother?" Neji's disgust was evident.

"I wonder how they got the portrait to scream like that." Sai mused.

Gaara was having a pained expression on his face while Sakura asked if he was alright.

When the group arrived in the kitchen, they were met with an interesting sight.

"Fred – George – NO, JUST CARRY THEM!" Mrs Weasley shrieked.

Harry, Sirius and a man swathed in rags called Mundugus dived away from the table. Fred and George had bewitched a large cauldron of stew, an iron flagon of Butterbeer and a heavy wooden breadboard, complete with knife, to hurtle through the air towards them. The stew skidded the length of the table and came to a halt just before the end, leaving a long black burn on the wooden surface; the flagon of Butterbeer fell with a crash, spilling its contents everywhere (and some on Naruto, who's the closest to the table); the bread knife slipped off the board and landed, point down and quivering ominously, exactly where Sirius's right hand had been seconds before.

"FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE!" screamed Mrs Weasley. "THERE WAS NO NEED – I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS – JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE ALLOWED TO USE MAGIC NOW, YOU DON'T HAVE TO WHIP YOUR WANDS OUT FOR EVERY TINY LITTLE THING!"

"We were just trying to save a bit of time!" said Fred, hurrying forward to wrench the bread knife out of the table. "Sorry, Sirius, mate – didn't mean to – "

Harry and Sirius were both laughing. Naruto (who was halfway drenched in the drink) fell down laughing while Sakura attempted to clean him up. Kakashi was chuckling as he sat down in a chair.

"Don't go too hard on them. No one's in any danger, we would've caught the knife before it hit anybody."

"But that's not the point, Mr Hatake." Mrs Weasley was fuming. She rounded on the twins again, berating them about their behaviour. She mentioned Percy, and the room went silent. Kakashi lifted his head in surprise. Percy? He thought the older brothers were only Bill and Charlie.

Dinner started with tentative introductions to the shinobis, the air still thick with tension after the name was said. Mrs Weasley then turned to Sirius.

"I've been meaning to tell you, Sirius, there's something trapped in that writing desk in the drawing room, it keeps rattling and shaking. Of course, it could just be a Boggart, but I thought we ought to ask Alastor to have a look at it before we let it out."

"Whatever you like," said Sirius indifferently.

"I could look at it for you Mrs Weasley." Neji offered.

"How…?"

Neji activated his Byakugan. Fred and George leaned over and stared at the veins that now appeared around his eyes.

"Cool eyes." Fred said.

"Are they magical?" George asked.

"What is this Boggart suppose to look like?" Neji ignored the twins in favour of asking the woman.

"Oh, uh, it doesn't have a defined shape…"

Neji found the writing desk and looked inside. There's a presence there, with a misty shape, but just as Mrs Weasley said, the shape is vague and not defined.

"Yes, there is this creature you speak of in the desk."

"That is very interesting." Lupin looked at Neji as he de-activated his Byakugan. "Is it hereditary?"

"Most of my clan has it." The Hyuuga replied.

The rest of dinner went on much more smoothly. Hermione was talking animatedly with Sakura. Hermione was explaining things in the wizardry world, but Sakura wasn't allowed to disclose too much information on Konoha. Sakura's replies to Hermione's questions were all vague, much to the bushy haired girl's disappointment. Naruto was getting splendidly well with the twins (no surprises there) and tried to get Gaara to join in (he got a face full of sand for that). Mr Weasley and Bill were astounded at Sai's drawing skills while Sirius, Lupin and Kakashi had their heads together talking.

There was a lull after dinner, with several stomachs full.

"Nearly time for bed, I think," said Mrs Weasley with a yawn.

"Not just yet, Molly," said Sirius, pushing away his empty place and turning to look at Harry. "You know, I'm surprised at you. I thought the first thing you'd do when you got here would be to start asking questions about Voldemort."

* * *

Longer chapter this time, please Rate and Review! 

P.S: Once again, I do NOT own J.K.Rowling's Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Thank you!

XD


	3. The Ministry of Magic

**Disclaimer:** The usual.

**Author's Note:** This is a long chapter...but it's not actually that long, considering half of it is from the book lol. So I shall say it again. I do not own the book, and the familar passages in this chapter IS from the book, I do not attempt to own them. For one of my reviewers, yes, it is a pity I didn't include Lee. But I'll compensate that with having Lee and Gai appear as guest stars in a chapter or two in the future! Next chapter will started to progress better, finally going to Hogwarts. So for now, enjoy! XD**

* * *

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**Chapter 3 – The Ministry of Magic**

"I did!" said Harry indignantly. "I asked Ron and Hermione but they said we're not allowed in the Order, so – "

"And they're quite right," said Mrs Weasley. "You're too young."

"Since when did someone have to be in the Order of the Phoenix to ask questions?" asked Sirius. "Harry's been trapped in that Muggle house for a month. He's got the right to know what's been happen– "

"Hang on!" interrupted George loudly.

"How come Harry gets his questions answered?" said Fred angrily.

"_We've_ been trying to get stuff out of you for a month and you haven't told us a single stinking thing!" said George.

" '_You're too young, you're not in the Order,_' " said Fred, in a high-pitched voice that sounded uncannily like his mother's. "Harry's not even of age!"

"And some of the guards are not of age either!" George added.

"It's not my fault you haven't been told what the Order's doing." Said Sirius calmly, "that's your parents' decision. Of course the guards are in the Order, how can they do their jobs properly if they're not well informed? Harry, on the other hand – "

"It's not down to you to decide what's good for Harry!" said Mrs Weasley sharply. The expression on her normally kind face looked dangerous. "You haven't forgotten what Dumbledore said, I suppose?"

"Which bit?" Sirius asked politely, but with the air of a man readying himself for a fight.

"The bit about not telling Harry more that he _needs to know_," said Mrs Weasley, placing a heavy emphasis on the last three words.

As the argument goes on, Naruto started to tune them out, feeling his lids dropping.

"Naruto!" Sakura hissed while elbowing him. "Listen! It's important!"

"But we've heard plenty in the meeting!"

"I doubt you were listening then too!"

"I am so!" Naruto was blushing slightly. "Besides, they're not talking anything serious now, they're just arguing!"

As if to prove his point, there was an instant uproar after Mrs Weasley's statement:

"Very well," said Mrs Weasley, her voice cracking. "Ginny – Ron – Hermione – Fred – George – I want you out of this kitchen, now."

"We're of age!" Fred and George bellowed together.

"If Harry's allowed, why can't I?" shouted Ron.

"Mum, I _want_ to hear!" wailed Ginny.

"NO!" shouted Mrs Weasley, standing up, her eyes overbright. "I absolutely forbid – "

"Molly, you can't stop Fred and George," said Mr Weasley wearily. "They _are_ of age."

"They're still at school."

"But they're legally adults now," said Mr Weasley, in the same tired voice.

Mrs Weasley was now scarlet in the face.

"I – oh, all right then, Fred and George can stay, but Ron – "

"Harry'll tell me and Hermione everything you say anyway!" said Ron hotly. "Won't – won't you?"

"Course I will," Harry said.

Ron and Hermione beamed.

"Fine!" shouted Mrs Weasley. "Fine! Ginny – BED!"

Ginny did not go quietly. They could hear her raging and storming at her mother all the way up the stairs, and when she reached the hall Mrs Black's ear-splitting shrieks were added to the din. Lupin stood up, ready to restore calm, but Sakura shook her head.

"I'll do it." She went into the hall. A second later, the noise was cut off. It was only after she had returned, closing the kitchen door behind her that Sirius spoke.

"OK, Harry … what do you want to know?"

* * *

When Mrs Weasley demanded the teens to go to bed, the shinobis stood up. The conversation had been rather dull in Kakashi's opinion. All of the facts have been mentioned in the meeting. He looked at the teenaged wizards – all look dissatisfied with the little information they were told. Personally, the jounin saw no harm in giving more information to the kids, seeing how that may put them out of trouble for a short time. That Harry kid seemed especially moody. 

Kakashi sighed. That's why he preferred shinobi teens to civilian teens. Shinobi has their hormones (including their emotions) under control. All he need to avoid is Sakura's PMS time, and avoid getting Naruto drunk. He does not have the energy to go chasing the kyuubi container around town in the middle of the night any more.

Kakashi waved at his team, telling them he'll be up later. The group bid the remaining people in the kitchen good night. The shinobis followed the teens and Mrs Weasley upstairs to the second landing but continued onto the third with the twins.

"G'night then," George faked a yawn as he went towards his room.

"Sleep tight!" Fred followed as he too, faked a yawn.

When their door closed, Sakura frowned.

"They're up to something."

"Probably going to teleport to Harry's room in a minute." Sai observed.

Sakura walked to her room.

"Sakura-chan, where're you going?" Naruto called after her.

"To bed you idiot."

As the shinobis went into their assigned rooms, Naruto was suddenly not so sleepy anymore. So he chose to pass the time by 'playing' with Gaara.

"Aren't you going to sleep?" The hyperactive boy asked his red haired friend. Gaara was sitting on his bed, back against the wall, his gourd on the ground beside him.

"No."

"Why? You can sleep now right? Since the one-tail was removed."

"Yes."

"Then why aren't you?"

"Habit."

"So what do you do at night?"

"Meditation."

"Isn't that boring?"

"No."

"Will you shut up?" Sai grunted from his side of the room.

"Why?"

"Because I can't sleep with your yapping."

"I can't either."

"I'll make you then." Sai whipped out his drawing scroll and drew a snake, a type of constrictor from the jungle. The ink sprang to life and instantly wrapped Naruto up with it.

"Gah! Get it off, get it off!"

Sand swirled towards the panicking blonde and sealed his lips. Naruto's angry muffles are the only thing that can be heard in the dark room. The ex-ROOT and the Kazekage ignored him.

* * *

"Did you hear someone yelling?" Sakura asked her boyfriend. 

Neji knew perfectly well. His Byakugan was activated.

"Uh, no." And he wasn't about to ruin the fun. He's paying Naruto back from when the blonde accidentally dumped hot soup into his lap at dinner. Granted, he'd sustained no injury, but it stung and his clothes were ruined.

"Are you sure?" Sakura stared suspiciously at the white-eyed boy next to her. "Why is your Byakugan activated then?"

"Checking on the twins. They teleported to and back from Harry's room by the way."

"Oh, okay then." Sakura played with a lock of Neji's black hair. "Hey, Neji?"

"Mmm?"

"Is Naruto ok?"

Neji twitched.

"I think so, why?"

"Oh, nothing, just wondering. I wouldn't want a suffocated team mate now."

"Why would he be suffocated?"

"I don't know. Why don't you tell me?"

"Er…"

* * *

The next day the household went into cleaning the house. The shinobi helped while getting to know Harry and his friends better. Ron now has two fears. His fear of spiders, and Gaara; he's still afraid of spiders much more though. At the end of the day, arrangements were made for Harry to go to his hearing in the morning. It's decided that Arthur will take Harry along to work with him, and Kakashi decided to dispatch Neji to go along. To keep an eye on Harry while the trial is going on, the Hyuuga's Byakugan will be less noticeable than Gaara's sand eye. 

Harry awoke at half past five the next morning. He dressed and went down to the kitchen. He saw Mr and Mrs Weasley, Sirius, Lupin, Tonks and Neji. All were fully dressed except for Mrs Weasley, who was wearing a quilted purple dressing gown.

"Breakfast," she said as she pulled out her wand and hurried over to the fire.

"M – m – morning, Harry," yawned Tonks. Her hair was blonde and curly this morning. "Sleep all right?"

"Yeah," said Harry.

As he sat down with a piece of toast, he noticed Neji had changed from his usual white-robed garb into a suit of black.

Neji absent-mindedly fingered his ANBU uniform. It feels strange without donning the white-boned armour and mask along with it. But since the full ANBU uniform and his normal white clothes, he would attract too much attention. The black sleeve-like gloves were cut off at his biceps, revealing his ANBU tattoo. Black sleeveless turtleneck, black pants, bandage on his right thigh with his weapon holster strapped over it and black sandals completed his outfit. At seventeen he was accepted into ANBU, and was promoted to ANBU captain two months ago. His team was scattered across the Fire Country in missions though.

Neji watched as the adults gave the nervous teen advice for his hearing. He then watched with veiled amusement as Mrs Weasley tried to comb the boy's hair into some semblance of order – without success.

"Doesn't it ever lie flat?" she said desperately.

Harry shook his head.

Mr Weasley checked his watch and looked up at Harry and Neji.

"I think we'll go now," he said. "We're a bit early, but I think you'll be better off at the Ministry than hanging around here."

"OK," said Harry automatically, dropping his toast and getting to his feet. Neji was already standing at the kitchen's doorway, waiting. Harry said his goodbyes and then followed Mr Weasley upstairs and along the hall, his guard behind him. Mr Weasley unbolted the door and they stepped out into the cold, grey dawn.

The trio arrived at the under-ground station they found it already full of early-morning commuters. When buying tickets, Harry handled the transaction since Mr Weasley wasn't very good at Muggle money. He was about to buy one for Neji too when he noticed him on the other side of the gate. As they were boarding on the train, Harry asked Neji.

"How did you get past the guard and the ticket barrier without anyone seeing you?"

"I have my ways." Was Neji's short reply.

Mr Weasley kept checking and re-checking the Underground Map above the windows. Neji activated his Byakugan and kept it that way for the rest of the train ride. They got off at a station in the very heart of London. As Harry and Mr Weasley got through the ticket barrier, they noticed Neji leaning against a street lamp as if he had been there all day.

Mr Weasley once again led the way. He led them into shabbier area of London and stopped in front of a red telephone box, which was missing several panes of glass and stood before a heavily graffitied wall.

"Here we are," said Mr Weasley brightly. "After you, Harry, and you, Neji."

He opened the telephone box.

Harry and Neji stepped inside. Neji wondered if the red haired man was sane. He shook the thought off as Mr Weasley joined them in the cramped space. Things worked differently here, must be magic. His thoughts were confirmed when Mr Weasley dialled a combination of numbers, then a cool voice sounded inside the telephone box, not from the receiver in Mr Weasley's hand, but as loudly and plainly as though an invisible woman were standing right beside them.

"Welcome to the Ministry of Magic. Please state your name and business."

"Er," said Mr Weasley, clearly uncertain whether or not he should talk into the receiver. He compromised by holding the mouthpiece to his ear, "Arthur Weasley, Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office, here to escort Harry Potter, who has been asked to attend a disciplinary hearing, along with our guard, Neji Hyuuga…"

Neji cringed at the use of his name. He's never going to get used to the way how family names goes last in this country.

"Thank you," said the cool female voice. "Visitors, please take the badge and attach it to the front of your robes."

There was a click and a rattle, and Harry saw something slide out of the metal chute where returned coins usually appeared. He picked them up: there were two square silver badge with _Harry Potter, Disciplinary Hearing_ and on one and _Neji Hyuuga, Guard_ on the other. He pinned his to the front of his T-shirt and passed the other one to Neji.

"Visitor to the Ministry, you are required to submit to a search and present your want for registration at the security desk, which is located at the far end of the Atrium."

Uh oh. Harry and Mr Weasley looked at Neji in unison as the floor of the telephone box shuddered and sinking slowly to the ground. Neji blinked. He did not have these sticks they called a wand, and he's laden full of weapons. He nodded reassuringly to the two wizards.

"Not to worry, I can handle it."

The lift shuddered to a stop.

"The Ministry of Magic wishes you a pleasant day," said the woman's voice.

The door of the telephone box sprang open and Mr Weasley stepped out of it, followed by Harry, whose mouth had fallen open.

They were standing at one end of a very long and splendid hall with a highly polished, dark wood floor. The peacock blue ceiling was inlaid with gleaming golden symbols that kept moving and changing like some enormous heavenly noticeboard. The walls on each side were panelled in shiny dark wood and had many gilded fireplaces set into them. Every few seconds a witch or wizard would emerge from one of the left-hand fireplaces with a soft _whoosh_. On the right-hand side, short queues were forming before each fireplace, waiting to depart.

"This way," said Mr Weasley. He led them over to a set of golden gates. Seated at a desk to the left, beneath a sign saying _Security_, a badly-shaven wizard in peacock blue robes looked up as they approached and put down his _Daily Prophet_.

"I'm escorting a visitor," said Mr Weasley, gesturing towards Harry. "And a guard is with us." Gesturing towards Neji.

"Step over here," said the wizard in a bored voice.

Harry went first. The wizard held up a long golden rod, thin and flexible as a car aerial, and passed it up and down Harry's front and back.

"Wand," grunted the security wizard at Harry, putting down the golden instrument and holding out his hand.

Harry produced his wand. The wizard dropped it on to a strange brass instrument, which looked something like a set of scales with only one dish. It began to vibrate. A narrow strip of parchment came speeding out of a slit in the base. The wizard tore this off and read the writing on it.

"Eleven inches, phoenix-feather core, been in use four years. That correct?"

"Yes," said Harry nervously.

"I keep this," said the wizard, impaling the slip of parchment on a small brass spike. "You get this back," he added, thrusting the wand at Harry.

"Thank you."

"Hang on…" said the wizard slowly.

His eyes had darted from the silver visitor's badge on Harry's chest to his forehead.

"Thank you, Eric," said Mr Weasley firmly, pushing Harry through the gate. The wizard then focused his attention on Neji.

"Ah, that's why you have a guard isn't it?" Eric nodded in understanding. "Your turn."

"Ah, about Neji…" Mr Weasley began hesitantly, not sure how to explain his weapons and his lack of wand. "His wand…you see…"

"Is broken unfortunately." Neji smiled brightly, instantly putting Harry on guard. The silent black haired youth had not smiled a smile that big in the short period Harry had known him.

"Broken? Let's see."

To Mr Weasley and Harry's amazement, Neji produced a wand, broken in half, the top part hanging just by a string of bark.

"I got into a Muggle brawl yesterday, unfortunately, and haven't had the time to buy a new wand yet." Neji continued calmly.

"Ah, yes I see, no need for the wand inspection then." Eric picked up the golden rod and did the same to Neji as he had done to Harry.

"Alright, you may go."

Mr Weasley and Harry followed dumbly behind Neji as he went ahead of him. They asked their question at the same time.

"Where did you get that wand?"

"How come he didn't detect anything on you?"

Neji smiled.

"That's because, I'm not real." He said and poofed out of sight.

"I am." A man with spiked brown hair in a black wizard robe walked towards them from his previous position against the wall. With a discreet 'poof', Neji stood before the shocked wizards.

"When did you…"

"How did you…"

The group continued walking as Neji explained.

"After the telephone box, I followed behind and performed the Bushin no Jutsu, which made a clone of myself, but it is not real, I also added in the wand to avoid the security guard from touching it. I then did a Henge, which is an illusion in making myself look like someone else and crossed the gate to wait for you."

"Shouldn't the guard detect that that wasn't the real you though?" Harry asked.

"I suppose that's because it is not magic. It is a jutsu."

"What's the difference?"

"Just our way of doing things." Neji replied vaguely.

"That was excellent!" Mr Weasley was excited. "Can you show me how it is done again back in the house?"

As they were talking, they went into a lift and arrived at Mr Weasley's floor. They walked out and turned a corner, walked through a pair of heavy oak doors and emerged in a cluttered open area divided into cubicles, which was buzzing with talk and laughter. A man whom Neji identified as Kingsley Shacklebolt from the Order of the Phoenix meeting was now talking to Mr Weasley. After the exchange was over (with Mr Weasley discreetly saying that Mrs Weasley is cooking meatballs tonight), the group went into Arthur's office (which is so small that Neji opt to wait outside than squeezing in there with the other two.

A few moments later, a memo zoomed into Mr Weasley's office. Curious, Neji peeked inside where Mr Weasley is unfolding the memo and read it out loud.

" 'Third regurgitating public toilet reported in Bethnal Green, kindly investigate immediately.' This is getting ridiculous…"

Neji snorted in amusement.

"A regurgitating toilet?" Harry asked. The two then talked about the issue when a stooped, timid-looking old wizard with fluffy white hair entered the room, panting.

"Oh, Arthur!" he said desperately, without looking at Harry or Neji. "Thank goodness, I didn't know what to do for the best, whether to wait here for you or not. I've just sent an owl to your home but you've obviously missed it – an urgent message came ten minutes ago – "

"I know about the regurgitating toilet," said Mr Weasley.

"No, no, it's not the toilet, it's the Potter boy's hearing – they've changed the time and venue – it starts at eight o'clock now and it's down in old Courtroom Ten – "

"Down in old – but they told me – Merlin's beard!"

Mr Weasley looked at his watch, let out a yelp and leapt from his chair.

"Quick, Harry, we should have been there five minutes ago!"

Perkins flattened himself against the filing cabinets as Mr Weasley left the office at a run, Harry and Neji following closely on his heels. They hurried to the lifts and stopped at the level for Department of Mysteries. The skidded to a halt in front of a grimy dark door with an immense iron lock. Mr Weasley slumped at the wall, clutching a stitch in his chest while hurrying Harry to go in.

"Go on," he panted, pointing his thumb at the door. "Get in there."

"Aren't – aren't you coming with –?"

"No, no, I'm not allowed. Good luck!"

Harry turned to stare at Neji with his green eyes. The pale-eyed youth shook his head negative, indicating he'll wait outside with Mr Weasley. Harry swallowed hard, turned around, turned the iron door handle and stepped inside. Neji watched as the boy disappeared. Immediately after, he activated his Byakugan, so he can monitor him. Mr Weasley's furious pacing up and down the hall was ignored, until the stressed man stopped suddenly. Neji looked up to see what had caught his attention and saw Professor striding down the corridor, his dark robes billowing out and behind him.

"Professor!" Mr Weasley called in surprise.

"I'm here as witness for the defence." Dumbledore said and looked inquiringly at Neji.

"The trial just started." Neji answered the unspoken question with a small bow to his client. Dumbledore nodded and opened the door, walked in briskly, and closed it.

"Dumbledore's here, there's nothing to worry about then." Despite his words, Mr Weasley started pacing again, looking pale.

Neji watched as Dumbledore announced himself to the court with astounding amount of people on the panel. He's able to read the Minister's lips as well as the other members of the panel, but cannot see the reply because Harry and the Professor's back was facing him.

After an hour, Neji saw the Dumbledore was coming back out. He opened the dungeon door for the headmaster just before he reached it.

"Thank you, Neji. Arthur, I'm sorry I can't stay, got urgent business to attend to." With that, he was gone.

A minute later, Neji opened the door once again, this time for a relieved looking Harry. The surprised Harry collided with an apprehensive and pale looking Mr Weasley who was just outside the door, having stopped pacing the minute Dumbledore stepped out.

"Dumbledore didn't say – "

"Cleared," Harry said, as Neji closed the door behind him, "of all charges!"

Mr Weasley was beaming. He seized Harry up by the shoulders.

"Harry, that's wonderful! Well, of course, they couldn't have found you guilty, not on the evidence, but even so, I can't pretend I wasn't – "

Mr Weasley broke off when Neji waved at them, indicating they should get out of the door's way. The reason became clear when the courtroom door opened. The Wizengamot were filing out.

"Merlin's beard!" exclaimed Mr Weasley wonderingly, pulling Harry aside to let them all pass. "You were tried by the full court?"

"I think so," said Harry quietly.

"This is not common then?" Neji looked beside him. He had grown over the years. He's the same height as Mr Weasley, and just slightly shorter than Kakashi.

"Not for something like Harry's case. It shouldn't be a full court…"

One or two of the wizards nodded to Harry as they passed and a few, including Madam Bones, said, "Morning, Arthur," to Mr Weasley, but most averted their eyes. Cornelius Fudge and the toadlike witch were almost the last to leave the dungeon. Fudge acted as though Mr Weasley and Harry were part of the wall, but spared a quick glance at Neji, slightly unnerved by the unnatural pearl white eyes. The witch looked appraisingly at Harry as she passed. Last of all to pass was Percy. Like the minister, he completely ignored his father and Harry, and only spared a glance at the oddly dressed guard; he marched past clutching a large roll of parchment and a handful of spare quills, his back rigid and his nose in the air. The lines around Mr Weasley's mouth tightened slightly, but other than this he gave no sign that he had seen his third son.

"Who was that?" Neji asked, who saw Mr Weasley's slight changed in expression.

"Er, I'll tell you later." Harry said quickly, looking at the tall man.

"I'm going to take you straight back so you can tell the others the good news," he said, beckoning Harry and Neji forwards as Percy's heels disappeared up the steps to Level Nine. "I'll drop you off on the way to that toilet in Bethnal Green. Come on…"

"So, what will you have to do about the toilet?" Harry asked, grinning. Neji rolled his eyes and deactivated his Byakugan. How quaint, they were back to the regurgitating toilet.

"Oh, it's a simple enough anti-jinx," said Mr Weasley as they mounted the stairs, "but it's not so much having to repair the damage, it's more the attitude behind the vandalism, Harry. Muggle-baiting might strike some wizards as funny, but it's an expression of something much deeper and nastier, and I for one – "

Mr Weasley broke off in mid-sentence. They had just reached the ninth-level corridor and Cornelius Fudge was standing a few feet away from them, talking quietly to a tall man with sleek blond hair and a pointed, pale face.

The second man turned at the sound of their footsteps. He, too, broke off in mid-conversation, his cold grey eyes narrowed and fixed upon Harry's face.

"Well, well, well…Patronus Potter," said Lucius Malfoy coolly.

"The Minister was just telling me about your lucky escape, Potter," drawled Mr Malfoy. "Quite astonishing, the way you continue to wriggle out of very tight holes … _snakelike_, in fact."

Mr Weasley gripped Harry's shoulder in warning. Neji narrowed his eyes at the wizard. He instantly disliked this man the second his eyes settled on him.

"Yeah," said Harry, "yeah, I'm good at escaping."

Lucius Malfoy raised his eyes to Mr Weasley's face.

"And Arthur Weasley too! What are you doing here, Arthur?"

"I work here," said Mr Weasley curtly.

"Not _here_, surely?" said Mr Malfoy, raising his eyebrows and glancing towards the door over Mr Weasley's shoulder. "I thought you were up on the second floor … don't you do something that involves sneaking Muggle artefacts home and bewitching them?"

"No," Mr Weasley snapped, his fingers now biting into Harry's shoulders.

"And who's this?" Malfoy's grey eyes spotted Neji in the shadows, right next to Harry. As he smoothed the front of his robes, Harry distinctly heard the gentle clinking of what sounded like a full pocket of gold. "A freak of nature perhaps? Like you, Potter?"

Neji saw the way the man had bated Harry and Mr Weasley, so he refused to comment. Instead, he sent off a wave of killing intent. The blond wizard apparently felt it. He tensed up and glared at him.

"Shall we go up to your office, then, Minister?"

"Certainly," said Fudge, turning his back on Harry, Neji and Mr Weasley. "This way Lucius."

They strode off together, talking in low voices. Mr Weasley did not let go of Harry's shoulder until they had disappeared into the lift. Neji then listened in to Harry and Mr Weasley's conversation as they angrily talked about that wizard – Lucius Malfoy. The facts they presented were interesting, for they were not mentioned in the meetings. As the trio stepped into the almost-deserted Atrium, Neji saw Harry take out his moneybag from his pocket, and then with wide eyes, watched him dump the contents into the fountain.

* * *

"Hm…I see." Kakashi had just heard Neji's report and was now thinking, his forefinger and thumb holding his masked chin, ignoring Fred, George and Ginny's gleeful shouts of '_He got off, he got off_' in the background. "We need to watch for this Malfoy then, you said his son was in school as well?" 

Neji nodded.

"It seems his son, Draco Malfoy, was Harry's enemy in school."

"Good, we'll keep an eye on him when we get to Hogwarts then." Kakashi noticed Neji's eyes darted around the kitchen, scanning over people in the crowded room. Kakashi gave his famous eye crease. "Sakura's in her room."

The longhaired boy was gone in a flash. Chuckling, Kakashi strolled over to the table, where the siblings are still chanting '_He got off…_' Naruto was eyeing the roast chicken Mrs Weasley had set on the table. Gaara was staring at Kreacher, the house elf, unblinkingly for five minutes. The unwavering stare finally drove him out of the kitchen, much to Harry's delight.

"Where's Sai?" Kakashi asked Naruto, who was starting to drool at the sight of more food being set out on the table.

"Around. Looking at the paintings."

"Ah."

"_He got off, he got off, he got off…_"

"SHUT UP!" Mrs Weasley roared.

* * *

Rate and Review XD 


	4. Emotions and the Hogwarts Express

**Disclaimer:** Same as always.

**Author's Note**: More action in this chapter! Who hates that annoying painting of Mrs Black? ME! Who loves a good Malfoy bashing? ME! Who loves shinibis kicking some Death Eater ass? MEMEME!

Enjoy!

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**Chapter 4 – Emotions and the Hogwarts Express**

An ecstatic shriek woke Naruto, causing him to bang his head against the underside of his bed – he had fallen out of the bed around dawn.

"Huh – wazzat – what's going on?" Naruto rubbed his head while wiping drool away from his face. The only person left in the room with him is Gaara, who was smirking.

"What time issit?" Naruto yawned.

"Two in the afternoon." Gaara replied, standing up.

"Oh…what was that noise before?"

"I do not know." Gaara was heading out the door.

"Where are you going?"

"To see what's going on." The red haired left. Naruto was scrambling out of the tangled sheets around him, still in his pyjamas.

"Hey – wait – Gaara! Dammit you ass, wait for me!"

The six shinobis arrived at Harry and Ron's room, all dressed (except for Naruto). Mrs Weasley was hugging Ron ferociously while kissing him all over his face. The twins were making gagging noises, Harry was staring at Ron and Hermione was squealing.

"Mum…don't…Mum, get a grip…" Ron muttered, his face in a bright scarlet while trying to push her away. He saw the guards crowding the doorway, and his face turned into an even brighter red.

"What's going on?" Naruto asked, rubbing his eyes, nightcap still on.

"Ronnie here got a badge." Fred looked disgusted.

"A shiny new _prefect's_ badge." George was dangling the said badge in his forefinger and thumb, holding it away from him, as if it were contagious.

Ron was finally out of his mother's grip, and snatched the red badge away from his brother.

"Oh, _that's _what woke me up?" Naruto looked disgruntled.

"You should've been up ages ago, I was going to throw a bucket of water to wake you." Sai said. He swung an empty bucket in his hand as he walked out of the room. Gaara left as well, followed by a still complaining Naruto.

Sakura and Neji congratulated Ron and Hermione, even though they did not get the meaning of a _prefect_. It seemed like a big thing. As the room slowly emptied, leaving Harry and Kakashi with Hermione exiting the room with the snowy owl Hedwig. Kakashi ambled over to the dejected form of Harry, who was bent over his trunk, pretending to pack his things. He laid a hand on Harry's shoulder, who jerked up in surprise.

"Oh, Mr Hatake …"

"Don't be too down about it." Kakashi said. Making Harry freeze.

"I'm…I'm not, I'm happy for Ron." The young wizard lowered his head again, organizing his already neat trunk.

"I may not know anything about your school, or what you have been through, but everything has its reasons." Kakashi looked at the open doorway and continued. "He may not seem like it, but Naruto is actually one of the strongest I know in our village, yet he's still a genin, which is the lowest level rank in our job."

Harry lifted his head a bit.

"He didn't get selected for his first exam to go onto the next level – chuunin, and was away for three years after, when he came back, everyone was chuunin, some even a higher rank, and he's the only one among his peers that is still stuck in genin level."

Harry was looking at Kakashi now.

"But that didn't stop Naruto, he kept working hard to achieve his dream – to become the Hokage, the leader of our village." Kakashi looked down and gave him a crinkled eye crease. "What I'm saying is, sometimes, things happen – it may be because of bad luck, or maybe because it's meant to happen that way. Dumbledore must have a good reason."

Kakashi patted Harry's shoulder and walked towards the door, getting out his orange book in the process.

"Don't worry too much about it, I'll see you at dinner."

When the silver haired man was gone. Harry sat on the bed. He had felt better now, and feeling slightly ashamed of himself. Ron burst back into the room.

"I've just caught up with mum!" he said happily. "She says she'll get the Cleansweep if she can."

"Cool," Harry said, his earlier misgivings dispelled immediately. "Listen – Ron – well done, mate."

* * *

At six o'clock, Mrs Weasley had come back from Diagon Alley. She passed the new books, robes and the broomstick to the kids and hurried back down to make dinner. When dinner was ready, Naruto was the first one through the door, following his nose.

Dinner was a fun affair; it was set up like a party in honour of Ron and Hermione making it to Prefects. Naruto performed his infamous 'Sexy no Jutsu', earning a nosebleed from Ron, a pair of ogling twins, and a chakra induced punch from Sakura. Mad-eye Moody was at the party too, he and Kakashi were having an interesting discussion on different ways of torturing information out of targets. Hermione and Ginny stumbled away from the pair, looking a little green. They were within earshot. Kingsley Shacklebolt was interested in Neji's eyes (much to his annoyance, endless amount of wizards have asked about his eyes). Sai was entertaining Lupin and Tonks by drawing out animals in his scroll and making them come to life, making an effort to improve his social skills (his fake smile in place all the while), and Gaara was having a surprisingly normal conversation with Sirius.

As the night winds down, Mrs Weasley yawned and walked over to the door.

"I'd better do something about that Boggart in the drawing room. I've forgotten about it."

"Do you want me to handle it, Molly?" Mad-eye asked.

"No, that's ok Alastor, I can handle it."

Sai had followed Harry upstairs after Moody had shown a photo to him. Harry seemed a bit disturbed, but Sai shrugged the fact off. As they neared the drawing room, sobbing could be heard. Sai waved Harry back behind him; he ventured forward to open the door fully.

Mrs Weasley was sobbing in a corner, her wand out, pointing at a dead Ron on the floor.

"Mrs Weasley?" Harry called. He eyed his dead friend on the floor uneasily. Sai was confused. The boy was downstairs with his friends, how could he be dead and in the floor above?

"_R – r – riddikulus_!" Mrs Weasley sobbed, pointing her shaking wand at Ron's body.

_Crack._

Ron's body turned into Bill's, spread-eagled on his back, his eyes wide open and empty. Mrs Weasley sobbed harder than ever.

"_R – riddikulus!_" she sobbed again.

_Crack._

Mr Weasley's body replaced Bill's, his glasses askew, a trickle of blood running down his face.

"No!" Mrs Weasley moaned. Sai sent a shuriken at the thing in the room. It passed through it and made a 'thunk' as it sunk into the wooden floorboard below it. He cocked his head at the shape-shifting thing. The wizards had called this a Boggart. Was its ability to create illusions of dead family members? Mrs Weasley continued to shout out her spell.

_Crack._ Dead twins. _Crack_. Dead Percy. _Crack_. Dead Harry …

"Mrs Weasley, just get out of here!" shouted Harry, staring down at his own dead body on the floor. "Let someone else – "

"What's going on?"

Lupin had come running into the room, closely followed by Sirius and Naruto, with Moody stumping along behind them. Lupin assessed the situation and instantly sprang into action. Pulling out his own wand, he said, very firmly and clearly:

"_Riddikulus!_"

Harry's body vanished. A silvery orb hung in the air over the spot where it had lain. Sai cocked his head the other way; face expressionless and still musing over the Boggart. Harry and the orb were not family members. Sai thought. Lupin waved his wand once more and the orb vanished in a puff of smoke.

"Oh – oh – oh!" gulped Mrs Weasley, and she broke into a storm of crying, her face in her hands.

"Molly," said Lupin bleakly, walking over to her. "Molly, don't …"

Next second, she was sobbing her heart out on Lupin's shoulder.

"What was that thing?" Naruto asked as he glanced at the distraught witch worriedly. He like Mrs Weasley – she was nice and cooked good food for him.

"That was a Boggart. A shape-shifter that could change its shape into your greatest fear." Sirius said softly, staring at the spot where a dead Harry was lying before.

So that was it. Sai thought. He walked to the spot where he'd thrown his shuriken and pulled it out of the floor. But there's one thing he doesn't understand…

"Everybody dies don't they?" He asked Mrs Weasley, who was still in Lupin's hold. "Why worry over it when it is inevitable?"

"Sai!" Lupin was shocked at the youth, who had no expression on his face what so ever. "A bit of consideration please."

Sai cocked his head again, the expression in his eyes reminded Lupin of a lost child, not understanding.

"But that is the truth." He said. "Why fear the inevitable?"

At this, Mrs Weasley started sobbing again.

"Sai!" Naruto punch his fellow shinobi in the stomach.

The artist looked at Naruto, who looked furious.

"What did I do wrong?"

Naruto sighed softly. He began pushing the artist out of the door.

"Go up into the room first, I'll explain to you later."

When Sai left, Naruto turned around, scratching his head apologetically.

"I'm sorry, Mrs Weasley, Sai's like that. He's getting better though, he's learning."

"What is there to learn?" Sirius glared at Sai's retreating back. "It's just some consideration."

"Well, to have consideration you need some emotions don't you?" Naruto stared sadly into the ground. "He doesn't have any."

"What do you mean, boy?" Moody asked.

"Sai doesn't have a family. He was recruited into ROOT when he was very young. The ROOT organization is ruthless. They taught the recruits that they have no emotion, they are just a tool." Naruto brightened a bit. "But he's gotten out of it, and he's learning, kinda funny that he's learning from books though, last time he almost kissed Sakura!"

Waving, Naruto left to catch up to the emotionless artist.

"That's terrible…" Mrs Weasley had momentarily forgotten her pain.

"It seems that the place they lived in is not much better off than ours." Lupin said. Harry stared at the closed doors of his guards, wondering what kind of life they lived.

* * *

The morning of September 1st is hectic. With Ginny accidentally being pushed down the stairs by the twin's flying trunks, crowded hallway and Mrs Black's enthusiastic yelling, it was the most disorganized scene the shinobis had witnessed. Moody was thankful that there are six guards in the house, so instead of waiting for a missing guard, the group is ready to head off to the King's Cross. Unfortunately, half of the children weren't ready yet.

"HURRY UP, WE'RE GOING TO BE LATE." Mrs Weasley hollered up the stairs at the girls and Ron.

"We'll get Harry to go first then." Moody said.

"Leave your trunks here, Alastor will deal with them … oh, for heaven's sake, Sirius, Dumbledore said _no_!"

A bear-like black dog had appeared at Harry's side as he was clambering over the various trunks cluttering the hall to get to Mrs Weasley.

"Oh, honestly…" Mrs Weasley said despairingly "Well, on your own head be it!"

"It's too early for this…" Sakura grumbled unhappily. She was _not_ a morning person. Her temper snapped when Mrs Black's screeching got louder. She stomped over to the portrait, seized the curtain, and drew if over the old woman. Using chakra, she sewed the curtains loosely together.

"_How dare you! Filthy mudblood! You – _" Mrs Black continued to screech, though it was muffled. Sakura punched into the wall next to her, in the portrait's line of vision. A tiny crater appeared beneath Sakura's fist. The hall was shocked to silence momentarily.

"Listen you old crone," Sakura's dangerously low voice said to the portrait. "It is too god damn early for you to scream. If you let out one more screech, by the gods I'm going to destroy you until not a _shred_ of canvas is left. I'm sure no one will miss you at all. Is that clear?"

"_YOU DARE – _" Mrs Black began, but silenced when Sakura's fist made another crater right next to the frame.

"I _said_, is that _clear_?"

Mrs Black nodded, but glared the pink haired kunoichi furiously. Sakura turned her ominous emerald eyes at the frightened crowd.

"Well?" She snapped. "Get a move on."

"Yes, ma'am" Kakashi saluted quickly, fast walking out the door. Gaara followed with Naruto practically tripping over himself to get out the door. Sai attempted to follow when Sakura glared at him.

"Stay we need to escort the other group."

Neji sweated lightly. He loved his girlfriend, but when she's angry, even the Hyuuga was scared – just a bit. Harry and Mrs Weasley hurried out the door, Sirius trotted beside them, his tail between his legs. They could hear the lagging group's renewed scrambling, wanting to avoid Sakura's bad temper.

"Is she always like this?" Harry asked Naruto.

He was sweating.

"When she's mad, yeah. Sakura-chan's so scary when she's mad." Naruto shivered.

"It's no good to get Sakura into a bad temper." Said Kakashi, leading the way as they met up with a disguised Tonks. "She could open the earth with her fist alone."

Naruto sniggered at the Kazekage.

"You're scared of Sakura-chan too, right Gaara?"

"Don't be ridiculous, I am scared of no one." Gaara snapped, his jade eyes blazing.

"Yeah right, look how fast you got out of the house with us." Naruto grinned. Sirius barked a laugh in his dog form, but jumped away from a sand spike thrown by the irritated shinobi.

They argued all the way to the train station. At King's Cross, Kakashi looked around for the train.

"Where is the platform?"

"Come, we'll show you." Tonks said cheerfully. Moments later, the group was standing in front of Hogwart's Express after going through the pillar and on platform nine and three-quarters.

"Cool!" Naruto was jumping up and down, looking everywhere at once. He spotted Moody, who was limping towards them with a large trolley full of trunks, a porter's hat tipped over his magical eye.

Moody came up to the group, glancing around.

"Any trouble?"

"No." Mrs Weasley replied. The rest of the group emerged from the magic gateway, along with the guards. Sakura now looked happy, probably due to the fact that the pale-eyed youth is pampering her (Neji's arm was only around Sakura's waist, but for the kunoichi, it was good enough since affection in public was rare for him).

The train was ready to leave. As the group started to board the train, they trade their goodbyes – and a doggy hug from Sirius – the train left.

As Harry, Ron and Hermione talked, Kakashi gave instructions to his team.

"Now, our mission is getting serious now. We'll take turns patrolling the train. One of us will sit with Harry in turns. I'll start at the front. Sakura, Sai, Naruto and Neji, situate yourselves in the train. Gaara, you stay with Harry for now."

When Ron and Hermione branched off from Harry, Naruto called to them.

"Oi, where're you guys going?"

"To the prefect carriage." Hermione replied. Sai followed them.

As Harry and Ginny walked down the train, looking for seats, Gaara followed behind them. At the last carriage they met Neville Longbottom, Harry's fellow fifth-year Gryffindor, his round face shining with the effort of pulling his trunk along and maintaining a one-handed grip on his struggling toad, Trevor.

"Hi, Harry," he panted. "Hi, Ginny…uh…who's that?"

Gaara's black-rimmed eyes stared back at Neville unblinkingly, making him extremely nervous.

"That's Gaara, one of the guards Dumbledore hired this year." Ginny explained. "Why aren't you sitting?"

"Everywhere's full…I can't find a seat…"

"What are you talking about?" said Ginny, who had squeezed past Neville to peer into the compartment behind him. "There's room in this one, there's only Loony Lovegood in here – "

Neville mumbled something about not wanting to disturb anyone.

"Don't be silly," said Ginny, laughing, "she's alright."

She slid the door open and pulled her trunk inside. Harry and Neville followed.

"Hi, Luna," said Ginny, "is it okay if we take these seats?"

The girl beside the window looked up. Gaara observed her. She had straggly, waist-length, dirty blonde hair, very pale eyebrows and protuberant eyes that gave her a permanently surprised look. Her wand was stuck behind her left ear and wore a necklace of corks. She was reading a magazine upside down. Her eyes ranged over Neville, Harry and Gaara. She nodded.

"Thanks," said Ginny, smiling at her.

After a strange introduction, the compartment fell silent. Then conversation started.

"Guess what I got for my birthday?" said Neville.

"Another Remembrall?" said Harry.

"No," said Neville. "I could do with one, though, I lost the old one ages ago … no, look at this …"

He dug the hand that was not keeping a firm grip on Trevor into his schoolbag and after a little bit of rummaging pulled out what appeared to be a small grey cactus in a pot, except that it was covered with what looked like boils rather than spines.

"_Mimbulus mimbletonia_," he said proudly.

Harry and Gaara stared at the thing. It was pulsating slightly, giving it the rather sinister look of some diseased internal organ.

"It's really, really rare," said Neville, beaming. "I don't know if there's on in the greenhouse at Hogwarts, even. I can't wait to show it to Professor Sprout. My Great Uncle Algie got it for me in Assyria. I'm going to see if I can breed from it."

Gaara wondered who would breed more of those things.

"Does it – er – do anything?" Harry asked.

"Loads of stuff!" said Neville proudly. "It's got amazing defensive mechanism. Here, hold Trevor for me…"

Dumping the toad into Harry's lap, Neville took a quill from his schoolbag. Luna's eyes appeared over the top of her magazine to watch. Neville held the plant up to his eyes, his tongue between his teeth, chose his spot, and gave it a sharp prod with the top of his quill.

Liquid squirted from every boil on the plant; thick, stinking, green jets of it. They hit the ceiling, the windows, and spattered Luna's magazine; Ginny, who had flung her arms up in front of her face just in time, merely looked as though she was wearing a slimy green hat, but Harry, whose hands had been busy preventing Trevor's escape, received a faceful. It smelled like rancid manure. Gaara, on the other hand, was protected from the liquid by his sand, which automatically sprang up in defence from his gourd. He sat calmly, didn't move an inch. The sand squelched as it moved, still shielding him.

Neville, whose face and torso were also drenched, shook his head to get the worst out of his eyes.

"S – sorry," he gasped. "I haven't tried that before … didn't realise it would be quite so…don't worry, though, Stinksap's not poisonous," he added nervously, as Harry spat a mouthful on the floor. "How did you get that sand in front of you though?" Neville asked the silent Gaara. "That was cool – "

The door of the compartment slid open. Gaara watched as a dark haired girl and Harry stammered a short conversation. After a hasty goodbye, the girl left. Harry groaned.

"Never mind," said Ginny. "Look, we can easily get rid of all this." She pulled out her wand. "_Scourgify!_"

The Stinksap vanished.

Gaara let the now dry sand trickle back into his gourd as Neville said his apology again in a small voice.

An hour later, Ron and Hermione clambered into the compartment, carrying Crookshanks and a small owl in with them.

"Oh, Gaara, Neji's coming down, he said to tell you that he'll be relieving you." Hermione said to the silent Kazekage. Gaara gave a solemn nod. He stood just as the compartment door slid open again, revealing a pointed face with sleek light blond hair and two what looks like gorillas to him.

"What?" Harry snapped at the newcomers.

"Manners, Potter, or I'll have to give you a detention," drawled the boy. "You see, I, unlike you, have been made a prefect, which means that I, unlike you, have the power to hand out punishments."

"Yeah," said Harry, "but you, unlike me, are a git, so get out and leave us alone."

Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Neville laughed. The blonde's lip curled.

"Tell me, how does it feel being second-best to Weasley, Potter?" he said.

"Shut up, Malfoy," said Hermione sharply.

"I seem to have touched a nerve," said Malfoy, smirking. "Well, just watch yourself, Potter, because I'll be _dogging_ your footsteps in case you step out of line." His attention turned to Gaara.

"And who's this? A cousin to Weasley perhaps?" Malfoy sneered. "What's with that get up? And that tattoo?"

Sand slithered out of the giant gourd strapped to Gaara's back and encircled itself around Malfoy's throat. Malfoy gave a panicked squeal as he felt the sand compressing and tightening about his neck. The two hulking figures came forward, but stopped when two strands of sand separated from the main strand and formed spikes, pointed at the trembling figures of Crabbe and Goyle's heart.

"Gaara!" Hermione gasped. Ron was whooping in the background.

"What's going on here?" Neji appeared behind the Slytherin gang. He looked at Gaara's handiwork, and then at the frightened face of Malfoy. "Ah, you must be Draco Malfoy."

"My father will here about this!" Malfoy spluttered. The sand tightened in warning.

"Ah, yes, your father." Neji's glared at Malfoy, who squeaked at the sight of Neji's eyes. "How utterly unpleasant he was. Listen well, Malfoy."

Neji leaned in.

"We are guards hired by Dumbledore to protect the school and its students. If there's anyone _inside_ of school we deem dangerous, they will be taken care of. I think a broken bone or two may teach wayward students a lesson, don't you think?"

"You can't do that! I'm a prefect! I shall tell my father about this!"

Gaara growled and lifted the annoyance with his sand. Hermione squeaked in protest and Neville was shaking in fear.

"Your father can't do a thing against us, kid." Neji smirked. "Gaara, let this pathetic excuse of a human go, before he wet his pants and stink up the place."

Gaara threw Draco out of the compartment. He let his sand retreat into his gourd and watched with a slightly sadistic smirk as the two lackeys ran after Malfoy.

"Oh," Hermione moaned in distress. "Is that allowed?"

Neji shrugged carelessly.

"He's gone now, isn't he?" Neji sat in the seat Gaara was in before. He stared at the ginger cat warily before sitting down though. The Kazekage gave a nod to the Hyuuga and walked out regally.

"That was awesome!" Ron exclaimed.

"Ron!" Hermione admonished.

"It is! And he's fine wasn't he? Not even a bruise!" Ron continued happily. "I bet Malfoy won't be so cocky now."

As the train continued north, the guard in Harry's compartment changed at every hour. Sakura had come to relieve Neji (with him giving a light kiss on the lips to Sakura to Ron's embarrassment), and now Naruto is taking the watch.

"We'd better change into our school robes now."

As the Hogwarts students complied, the train slowed and then gradually stopped.

"Are we there yet?" Naruto asked, jumping out of his seat. Luna stared out of the window.

"It's stopping, but we shouldn't be reaching Hogwarts yet."

"Naruto!" Sakura flung the door open. "Kakashi wants us in the front. Something's wrong."

"Alright, hang on." Naruto perform the Kage Bushin no Jutsu, making a clone of himself. "Just in case."

"Is that the Bushin Jutsu thing? Neji did that at the Ministry." Harry asked. He was startled when it was the clone that replied as the original ran out the compartment with Sakura.

"It's different. This is the Shadow Clone Jutsu, which meant I'm not just an illusion, but real. See? Feel me."

Ron poked at the cloned Naruto.

"Cool! Can you teach that to us? I can use this to escape Divination. Or even Potions!"

* * *

"What's going on?" Neji asked the Copy Nin. Kakashi just returned from speaking with the conductor.

"Something's not right. The conductor said something forced the train to stop." The lights dimmed. Panicked students started muttering. "You two." Kakashi pointed at the Head Boy and Girl. "Calm the students. Team, we're going out."

The six vanished as the Head Boy and Girl hurried to comply. The shinobis appeared at the front of the train, where the headlights still shined onto the track in front. In hooded cloaks, three figures stood, wands out.

"These must be the Death Eaters the wizards are talking about." Kakashi whispered to the teens. "Take one between two. Try and leave one alive."

"_Avada Kedavra!_" Three jets of green shot towards the shinobi.

The shinobi sprang into action.

"Kaiten!" Neji dispersed the green light in a shower of sparks while Sakura jumped over him, and punched one the figures. The sharp crack of ribs breaking and a howl of pain distracted the other two Death Eaters.

Sand blocked the curse and Gaara sent out a wave of sand at the same time, Naruto balancing on top of it like a surfer.

"Kage Bushin no Jutsu!" Multiple Naruto's caught the surprised figures.

"_Crucio!_" The two struggling Death Eaters pointed them at the original Naruto. Their attempts were in vain, for the curse hit the inky forms of two lions, drawn by Sai. Ink was a non-living thing, so the curse has no effect on them. Kakashi went into the throng, slashing at the Death Eaters who were tied down by Naruto's Kage Bushins with a kunai. The two Death Eaters died instantly, unable to free their wand hands to protect themselves. Kakashi then sent the blood-soaked weapon at the one with the broken ribs, hitting the back of his right calf, which is extremely painful, making it impossible for him to walk.

"That was strangely easy." Naruto said as his Bushins poofed away. The group advanced towards the only live Death Eater, who was sobbing in pain as Sakura hauled him upright by his robe.

"Geez, Kakashi-sensei, couldn't you have just thrown the kunais instead of going in close combat?" Sakura asked as she eyed the bloodstains.

"Safer to do that, it won't give them a chance to escape."

"So what do we do with this one?" Sakura asked, shaking the man like a rag doll. The man gasped in renewed pain, and the hood fell off. A bald man with small eyes greeted them. His face was twisted in pain, blood trickling from his mouth. In Sakura's hand was the man's fallen wand.

Kakashi pushed his soaked hair back. The shinobis hardly noticed the rain around them until now.

"Well, we'll clear out a compartment, spare the students of the sight, and question him. We'll take him to Dumbledore at Hogwarts, he'll know what to do."

The Death Eater rasped a feeble laugh.

"Hah, you'll never stop the Dark Lord, never!" With a last burst of strength, he snatched the wand out of Sakura's hand.

_CRACK_.

The man was gone.

"Dammit!" Naruto shouted. "He still has energy left to teleport?"

"I believe the term was Apparate." Kakashi sighed as Sakura apologized furiously. "We have no way of tracking him then, my dog Nins can't track through thin air. In any case, we'll report this to the headmaster. Let's head back in the train."

Once in, the shinobis dispersed. Kakashi teleported to the last carriage to avoid unnecessary attention with his bloodstained clothes, and opened the door at Harry's compartment. Gasps met him.

"Blimey, are those – are those – "

"Is that _blood_?" Hermione screeched.

Kakashi nodded to the clone. It nodded back and poofed out. He sighed, running his hand through his wet hair and gazed around the compartment. Six pairs of eyes were trained on him - all were riveted on the bloodstains.

"Er…don't worry, those aren't mine…" The eyes widened. Oops, maybe that wasn't the best phrase to say.

Kakashi coughed politely.

"Uh, by any chance, you wouldn't know how to get rid of the stains do you?"

Hermione dazedly pointed her wand at Kakashi and said "_Scourgify_"

"Excellent." Kakashi's eye crinkled. "These spells are really useful…"

"What happened?" Harry asked.

"Just a bit of trouble. Nothing to worry about, it's taken care of." Kakashi replied vaguely as he sat down.

"Kakashi-sempai, should I take care of the bodies with a fire jutsu?" Sai said, poking his head inside, not realizing that Harry and his friends were in there with him until the words were out of his mouth. "Uh…" Sai wisely left without waiting his reply.

Kakashi closed his eyes. Dammit. He forgot about the corpse. He was so used to being in his own country, that he forgot the corpse need to be removed, or they'll rot on the train tracks – not a pretty site.

"Bodies?" Neville's voice went up an octave. The train was slowly starting again.

"Uh, never mind…"

"Are they Death Eaters?" Harry asked seriously. Kakashi eyed the bespectacled teen.

"Yes."

* * *

Rate and Review XD 


	5. Hogwarts

**Disclaimer:** Same ol', same ol'

**Author's Note:** Not a incredibly exciting chapter, but enjoy!**

* * *

**

Chapter 5 – Hogwarts 

An hour later, the train had arrived at its destination. Ron and Hermione left first, needing to supervise the students disembarking. Harry, Ginny, Neville, Luna and Kakashi left their compartment and stepped onto the platform and into the damp, night air. Kakashi signalled his team over as the other four wizards went ahead to get a carriage.

"I'll need to get to the castle first to inform the headmaster of the 'incident' on the way here." Kakashi said. "You five guard the carriages from ground. I'll see you there."

Kakashi went towards where the first-years are, where one by one, they got into the boat. Kakashi disregarded them and stepped onto the lake water. Kakashi ran along the water, towards the distant glow of the castle. Those who saw this feat chattered excitedly. Sai soon spotted where the carriages are. Reptilian-like horses, devoid of flesh, were harnessed to the carriages. Black coats clinging to their skeletons, of which every bone was visible. Their heads were dragonish, and their pupil-less eyes white and staring. Wings sprouted from each wither – vast, black leathery wings that looked as though they ought to belong to giant bats.

Sakura decided to stay with Harry's carriage. The rest spread themselves evenly across to other carriages. She saw Harry staring distraughtly at the horses with Ron beside him.

"I'm talking about – look!" Harry grabbed Ron's arm and wheeled him about so that he was face to face with the winged horse. Sakura saw Ron staring straight at it for a second, and then looked back at Harry.

"What am I supposed to be looking at?" Ron asked.

"At the – there, between the shafts! Harnessed to the coach! It's right there in front – "

Ron looked bemused.

"Can't … can't you see them?"

"See _what_?"

"Can't you see what's pulling the carriages?"

"Are you feeling all right, Harry?"

"I…yeah…" Harry looked bewildered.

"Shall we go in, then?" said Ron uncertainly.

"Yeah," said Harry. "Yeah, go on…"

"It's alright," Luna said when she's beside Harry as Ron vanished into the coach. "You're not going mad or anything. I can see them too."

"Can you?"

"Oh yes," said Luna, "I've been able to see them ever since my first day here. They've always pulled the carriages. Don't worry. You're just as sane as I am."

Somehow, Sakura didn't think that was a reassuring thing to Harry. As Luna went in the carriage, the Hokage's apprentice walked up to Harry.

"Hey, don't worry."

Harry whirled around to face the pink haired girl.

"We can see them too."

"Really?"

"Yeah, Sai was saying he wanted to draw them after we've escorted you to the school. Wish our academy was a castle." Sakura said wryly as she glanced at Hogwarts in the distance.

Harry sighed in relief and climbed into the carriage. As it started moving into a trot, Ron glanced outside at Sakura.

"Blimey, aren't you tired? It's quite a way on foot you know."

"This is nothing." Sakura smiled.

"Did Mr Hatake really run on water?" Hermione said, looking out of the carriage opposite to Ron.

"How did you know it was him?" Ron asked. "No one can run on water!"

"Well, I heard some second years saying they saw a silver haired, masked man running across the lake." Hermione shrugged.

"Actually, Kakashi-sensei _is_ going to the castle that way." Sakura replied.

"What?! You're kidding!" Harry exclaimed from inside.

"You'll be surprised at what we can do." Sakura smiled mysteriously.

The carriages jingled to a halt near the stone steps leading up to the oak front doors. The group got out of the carriage and went into the Entrance Hall. The hall was ablaze with torches and echoing with footsteps as the students crossed the flagged stone floor for the double doors to the right, leading to the Great Hall and the start-of-term feast. Sakura had vanished the minute Harry and his friends stepped into the Great Hall.

"Where's she?" Ginny asked.

Harry shrugged.

"Probably looking for her friends."

* * *

The five shinobis gathered in front of Minerva McGonagall, whom they recognized from a few of the Order of the Phoenix meetings. The Transfiguration teacher looked startled for a minute at their sudden appearance, but straightened her robes. 

"I shall take you to your quarters now. Mr Hatake is there already. Follow me." In a swish of robes, the professor was walking quickly away from them and into the Hall. Along the way, Sakura and Naruto were gaping at the interior of the castle. Neji, Sai and Gaara were more dignified, but their eyes darted around them, taking in their environment. She led up a flight of stairs (of which Naruto got himself stuck in one of the disappearing steps), down a corridor and stopped in front of a portrait of a knight, his visor tucked under his arm, dressed in a suit of armour.

"Password?" The portrait asked regally.

"Lemon drops." Professor McGonagall said. And to the shinobis' amazement, the knight bowed his head and the portrait swung open, revealing the way in. As they stepped through the threshold, they were greeted with the sight of a cosy, round common room. Armchairs surrounded the fireplace, rugs on the polished wooden floors; two long tables with chairs were situated near the tall windows, overlooking the lake. Banners of the four different schoolhouses hung from the ceiling on the walls, bookshelves of books surrounded the room. There are ten lavish oak doors, leading undoubtedly to the sleeping quarters. Kakashi was reclined in a plush armchair in front of the fireplace, reading his ever-present Icha Icha.

"I'm in a hurry, the first years would be arriving now. A house elf would be sent up to guide you to the Great Hall where you will be joining us." She then walked briskly away from them, back out the portrait, where it swung back behind her.

Naruto was jumping around the place. Shouting gleefully.

"This place is awesome!" He rolled around on top of a soft fur rug.

"I'm quite surprised myself." Kakashi gave this happy eye crease as he lifted his head from his book. "I summarized that there's no problems on the way to the castle?"

"No." Neji replied. He was distracted by one of the bookshelves. He tugged one book free.

"This place is one of the guest rooms in the castle." Kakashi explained. "The password to this place will be the same password to Dumbledore's office. It will be easier for staff to contact us, and will be easier for us to get into the headmaster's office without any hassle."

Gaara walked to one of the doors, and opened the door with its golden handle.

"What does the rooms look like?" Naruto jumped up and ran up to his friend.

"…Pleasant." Gaara replied shortly and walked in. Inside, there was a queen sized four-poster bed, its drapes in deep maroon, a chest at the foot of the bed. A window with a ledge on the inside, two pillows sat on it. An oil lamp hung beside the bed, underneath it, a bedside drawer with a jug of water and a glass. Opposite of the bed stood a wooden closet and a bookshelf.

"Every room is the same." Kakashi called from his place outside. "Go put your stuff down. I think we'll be required at the Hall in a minute."

"Where do we wash?" Sai asked.

Kakashi pointed to one of the doors. It was the only door with a silver handle.

"There's the bathroom. There's a shower and the toilet in there. We'll need to take turns using it."

A minute later, the teens came back out from their chosen rooms. At the same moment, a soft 'pop' was heard and a cheerful house elf greeted them. Its choice of clothing was…odd. He wore a shrunken red jumper - the sleeves still a tad too long. On his feet was a pair of mismatched socks. A tea warmer covered its head, with slits on the side to allow his large ears to flap out.

"Welcome sirs and miss! Dobby will show you the way to the Great Hall!" The eager-to-please house elf ran to the portrait and opened the way for them.

"Uh…thanks." Neji said as he stepped outside the warm common room.

"The headmaster says you know Harry Potter." Dobby casts its big gaze around the shinobis.

"Yeah." Naruto said.

The group followed the now ecstatic elf.

"Oh, Harry's the most wonderful wizard! Yes-sir! He freed Dobby from…from…from bad wizards. Now Dobby works here! And he gets paid!" Dobby continued his rambling, much to the shinobis' amusement.

They arrived at the double doors of the Great Hall.

"Here we are." Dobby gestured to the door. "I must be going now to help with the feast. Very nice to meet you sirs and miss!" He scuttled down the corridor and out of sight.

"He's kinda cute once you get use to him." Sakura giggled.

Neji's eyes narrowed. Sakura giggled again at the Hyuuga's expression. Kakashi reached towards the doors, and threw them open.

* * *

After the Sorting Hat's strange song and the sorting was finished. Harry watched as Dumbledore stood up. 

"To our newcomers," said Dumbledore in a ringing voice, his arms stretched wide and a beaming smile on his lips, "welcome! To our old hands – welcome back! There is a time for speech making, but this is not it." The double doors of the Great Hall sprang open, revealing the six guards. Heads turned and craned, wanting to see who had just entered.

"However," Dumbledore continued. "I would like to introduce our guards for this year!" Students started to mutter as the group at the entrance bowed. "But now isn't the time to elaborate, tuck in!"

Food appeared magically on the tables amidst the applause and laughter of the students. Harry waved to the guards. Naruto did not hesitate and ran over. Gaara followed at a more leisurely pace, but passed the Gryffindor table and headed towards the Slytherins. Sakura and Neji went over to Hufflepuff's table and sat down at the end. Sai and Kakashi settled down at the Ravenclaw table.

"Why didn't they come sit with us?" Harry asked Naruto, who was already busy stuffing food into his mouth.

"Hm? Oh, Kakashi-sensei wanted to do it this way so it doesn't look like we're favouring anyone. Plus we cover more ground like this, even if we are seated." Naruto stuffed a chicken leg in his mouth. His eyes widened.

"Are – are those ghosts?!"

Ginny looked around and saw Nearly Headless Nick floating next to Dean a few seats away, other house ghosts floating around too.

"Yeah. Oh, speaking of ghosts, you might want to watch out for Peeves. You'll meet him soon enough I think."

"Look at Malfoy." Ron laughed. Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle were scooting as far away from the sand manipulating youth, who opt to take his seat next to the terrified blonde.

"I think he's enjoying it." Fred leaned in and said.

"Yeah, see? He's smirking." George added.

"Gaara haven't had fun in ages." Naruto said. "Stuck under paperwork back home."

"Oh? Do you have homework too?" Hermione asked.

"Hell no," Naruto snapped his head up, looking horrified. "Gaara's the Kazekage for Suna."

"The…what?"

"Er…I mean, the leader for another village. His village and ours are allies."

"Leader?" Harry asked. The conversation with Kakashi a few days ago floated up into his mind.

"Yeah, long story, pass the turkey please."

"The whole lot?" Ron looked aghast.

"Of course!"

* * *

When all the students had finished eating and the noise level in the Hall was starting to creep upwards again, Dumbledore got to his feet once more. Talking ceased immediately as all turned to face the Headmaster. 

"Well, now that we are all digesting another magnificent feast, I beg a few moments of your attention for the usual start-of-term notices," said Dumbledore. "First-years ought to know that the Forest in the grounds is out-of-bounds to students – and a few of our older students ought to know by now, too."

Naruto noticed Harry, Ron and Hermione exchanged smirks.

"Mr Filch, the caretaker, has asked me, for what he tells me is the four-hundred-and-sixty-second time, to remind you all that magic is not permitted in corridors between classes, nor are a number of other things, all of which can be checked on the extensive list now fastened to Mr Filch's office door.

"We have had two changes in staffing this year. We are very pleased to welcome back Professor Grubbly-Plank, who will be taking Care of Magical Creatures lessons; we are also delighted to introduce Professor Umbridge, our new Defence Against the Dart Arts teacher."

There was a round of polite but fairly unenthusiastic applause.

"As you are all aware, we have some special guests this year. I would like to properly introduce the guards – " six clouds of smoke were 'poof'ed in front of the staff table, under the dais, revealing the said guards. "Their task is to protect you. Please follow their instructions without fail. Give them no reason to suspect or harm you. Their leader is Mr Hatake," Kakashi waved a lazy hand "any concerns or queries will go to him."

"Now, tryouts for the house Quidditch teams will take place on the – "

He broke off, looking enquiringly at Professor Umbridge. As she was not much taller standing than sitting, there was a moment when nobody understood why Dumbledore had stopped talking, but then Professor Umbridge cleared her throat, "_Hem, hem,_" and it became clear that she had got to her feet and was intending to make a speech.

Dumbledore only looked taken aback for a moment, then he sat down smartly and looked alertly at Professor Umbridge as though he desired nothing better than to listen to her talk. Other members of staff were not as adept at hiding their surprise. Professor Sprout's eyebrows had disappeared into her flyaway hair and Professor McGonagall's mouth was as thing as anyone had ever seen it. The guards were looking back at the staff table in surprise. It seems no one had ever interrupted Dumbledore before.

"Thank you, Headmaster," Professor Umbridge simpered, "for those kind words of welcome."

Her high-pitched, breathy and little-girlish voice echoed through the Great Hall. The guards cringed visibly. Especially Kakashi. Umbridge straightened her fluffy pink cardigan, gave another throat-clearing cough (_hem, hem_) and continued.

"Well, it is lovely to be back at Hogwarts, I must say!" She smiled, revealing very pointed teeth. "And to see such happy little faces looking up at me!"

Sai looked around, seeing no smiling faces. Perhaps it is a figure of speech? Naruto snorted. No one looked even _close_ to smiling, on the contrary, they all looked taken-aback at being addressed as though they were five years old.

"I am very much looking forward to getting to know you all and I'm sure we'll be very good friends!" Professor Umbridge cleared her throat again (_hem, hem_), so she didn't hear the brief, soft snickers that went around the Hall. When she continued, some of the breathiness had vanished from her voice. She sounded much more business like and now her words had a dull learned-by-heart sound to them.

The shinobis straightened a bit.

"The Ministry of Magic has always considered the education of young witches and wizards to be of vital importance. The rare gifts with which you were born may come to nothing if not nurtured and honed by careful instruction. The ancient skills unique to the wizarding community must be passed down the generations lest we lose them forever. The treasure trove of magical knowledge amassed by our ancestors must be guarded, replenished and polished by those who have been called to the noble profession of teaching."

Professor Umbridge paused here and made a little bow to her fellow staff members, none of whom bowed back to her. Professor McGonagall's dark eyebrows had contracted so that she looked positively hawklike, Sakura saw her exchange a significant glance with Professor Sprout as Umbridge gave another little "_hem, hem_" (which aggravated the shinobis to no end) and went on with her speech.

"Every headmaster and headmistress of Hogwarts has brought something new to the weighty task of governing this historic school, and that is as it should be, for without progress there will be stagnation and decay. There again, progress for progress's sake must be discouraged, for our tried and tested traditions often require no tinkering. A balance, then, between old and new, between permanence and change, between tradition and innovation …"

Naruto was dozing on his feet, his blue eyes glazed. Neji saw that the once quiet Hall when the headmaster was speaking was breaking up. Students had started to put their heads together, whispering and giggling. A few were dutifully staring at Professor Umbridge, but their glassy-eyed stare suggested that they had drifted off, like Naruto. Gaara had his eyes closed, but still listening. Sakura's eyebrows were slowly drifting down, forming a frown as Umbridge's speech went on. Sai and Kakashi were standing motionless, eyes trained on the Professor. Professor Umbridge for her part did not seem to notice the restlessness of her audience and was still talking.

"…because some changes will be for the better, while others will come, in the fullness of time, to be recognised as errors of judgement. Meanwhile, some old habits will be retained, and rightly so, whereas others, outmoded and outworn, must be abandoned. Let us move forward, then, into a new era of openness, effectiveness and accountability, intent on preserving what ought to be preserved, perfecting what needs to be perfected, and pruning wherever we find practices that ought to be prohibited." Her eyes drifted to the guards briefly, and then sat down.

Dumbledore clapped. The staff followed his lead, though several of them brought their hands together only once or twice before stopping. The guards remained motionless. A few students joined in, but most had been taken unawares by the end of the speech, not having listened to more than a few words of it, before they could start applauding properly, Dumbledore stood up again.

"Thank you very much, Professor Umbridge, that was most illuminating," he said, bowing to her. "Now as I was saying, Quidditch trouts will be held…"

"It certainly was illuminating." Kakashi whispered thoughtfully. Naruto snapped out of his trance when the clapping had started.

"Eh? Why? That was the most boring speech I've ever heard!"

"It explained a lot." Sakura said from beside him.

"Did it?" Naruto blinked.

"If you would bother to listen, then you would know." Neji snapped softly.

"We'll continue this back in our rooms." Kakashi said. He then stepped forward at the nod from Dumbledore, who had finished the announcements.

Kakashi coughed. The hall's attention went to him.

"Each house will be accompanied by a guard to go with you back to your quarters. Please give your respective guard the password to your house. Rest assured that we would not go in unless it is necessary." He nodded to his team. Gaara went to Slytherin, Naruto went to Gryffindor, Sakura took the Hufflepuff and Neji arrived at the Ravenclaw table.

"A warning before you leave." Kakashi's voice became sharp instead of the lazy tone he used before. "Do not attempt to wander around at night. Whatever method you choose to use, we _will_ catch you, and severe punishment will be given. Do not give us any reason to take action against you, and do not even _assume_ we are soft. We are here for you safety, and that is our top priority. Do not question us, and do what you are told to do by us, or we will _force_ you to do them." Kakashi's dark gaze roamed around the tense students, then he gave a friendly eye crease. "That's all, have a good night."

There was a great clattering and banging all around. Noise erupted in the hall as houses were being led away by prefects and their guard. A soft '_hem, hem_' made Kakashi look back. Sai lifted his head from his scroll and ink to stare at the pink figure of Professor Umbridge. She was currently looking at Dumbledore.

"Are these…these _guards_ necessary, Headmaster?" Professor Umbridge's high-pitched voice grated against Kakashi's sensitive hearing.

"Yes, Dolores. If you are worried about them, rest assured that they are completely trustworthy and reliable."

"What I mean is, that, I don't think guards are necessary. Hogwarts is safe."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that." Kakashi interrupted, single eye crinkled politely at the toad-like woman. "Nothing is as safe as they seem."

Umbridge was growing pink.

"Why, I…"

"Sai, have you finished with the map?" Kakashi ignored the woman and turned to Sai.

"Yes." Sai handed his scroll over. Kakashi then passed it to Professor Dumbledore.

"Is the layout of this correct? Any hidden passages?"

Professor Flitwick leaned over, almost toppling off his high chair.

"Why, how did you manage to get such accurate map in such a short notice?"

"I drew it." Several ink mice arrived beside the emotionless artist, making Umbridge squeak. "I used them to help."

The short professor was now very interested. He stared down at the ink mice, which waved their tails at him in greeting. "Very interesting, yes, yes, very interesting."

Dumbledore had handed the scroll back to Kakashi with a few corrections, then the pair of shinobis poofed away.

"This is ridiculous, Headmaster, we don't need guards!" Umbridge puffed.

"Oh, believe me, Dolores, we do." Dumbledore looked at her over his half-moon glasses, eyes twinkled mysteriously.

* * *

Gaara sighed. He wanted rest, and he wanted to be away from the idiots he found himself surrounded in. At least five Slytherins had their mouth shut by a band made of sand. Two fifth years and a sixth year were upside down, legs tied by sand, floating in the air along behind the Kazekage. 

"Coward, are ye? Hiding behind your freak power?" A seventh year sneered.

Oh, Gaara miscounted. There are now two fifth years, a sixth year and a seventh year boy currently hanging upside down. He'd rather be doing the endless amount of paperwork and go to the idiotic meetings in his position as the Kazekage of Suna than being here. He glared at the Slytherin prefect to hurry up. Scared, Malfoy quickened his pace.

Awhile later, the shinobis had all arrived back at their quarters. Sai gave out copies of the map of the castle.

"We shall start patrolling tomorrow." Kakashi announced. "Two of us will be at Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures lessons at all times, since they are outside of the castle. One will be with Harry as well and the rest will patrol the grounds. We'll swap our positions at each lesson, but the one staying with Harry will stay with him for the whole day, only to swap in the next day."

Kakashi sank into one of the armchairs.

"That's all for now, the student's timetable will be given out tomorrow. We'll organize the watches then. For tonight, all of us may get a good night's rest. Starting tomorrow we'll have watches at night." The Copy Nin opened his orange book. "We'll also need to keep an eye on Professor Umbridge. It sounded like the Ministry is trying to take over this school."

"I saw her at Harry's trial the other day. And she's one of the wizards that stood by the Minister the whole way through." Neji said.

Naruto yawned.

"Oh well, we'll just keep an eye on her right? I'm going to sleep."

Naruto went straight to bed. After the feast, his eyes were already starting to close. Sai and Gaara went back into their rooms as well. Sakura and Neji settled near the fireplace, wanting to read. A soft 'pop' was heard and Dobby appeared before the portrait hole.

"Dobby is here to serve sirs and miss!" Dobby bounced excitedly on the balls of his feet. "Would you like anything?"

"Er…" The three shinobis of Konoha looked at each other.

"Perhaps…some tea?" Sakura asked.

"Of course, of course, what tea would you like?"

"Green?" Neji tried.

"Yes, yes, it shall be done at once." Dobby disappeared.

"Eager little thing isn't he?" Kakashi blinked.

A minute later, Dobby came back, a trolley of food piled onto it. Dobby rolled the trolley to the three wide-eyed ninjas. He served them green tea into teacups and placed a plate of small sandwiches on a small table near them. He then unloaded the teapot and placed it on a large tea coaster, then placed another plate down, this time containing chocolate chip cookies.

"The extra food is from the house elves in the kitchen." Dobby said cheerfully. "We are very happy you are here. Please call on Dobby if you need anything else." The house elf winked out of existence.

"I'm liking this place more by the minute." Sakura said, biting into a soft tuna and lettuce sandwich.

* * *

Cute Dobby lol Rate and Review! 


	6. Dolores Jane Umbridge

**Disclaimer:** Same

**Author's Note:** So happy that so many people reviewed XD Got tons of suggestions. I may go through with some of them, twist some of them, or not use them. But all of the suggestions are well appreciated! I've put a bit of Sakura/Neji fluff, but only a tiny bit. My brain is a bit dead today, probably because it's raining now, and it somehow effected me. Not the greatest chapter (for me) I'll do better on the next one! Enjoy!**

* * *

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Chapter 6 – Dolores Jane Umbridge 

Sakura opened her eyes slowly. Soft sunlight streamed in from the window, illuminating the room with its golden glow. She snuggled further into the sheets and back into the warm body behind her. The arm around her waist tightened slightly in reply. Pink and black hair mingled together on the pillow. Sakura closed her eyes again, enjoying the peace of the morning with Neji.

"Sakura-chan!" The door bursts open, admitting a hyperactive Naruto.

Well, that didn't last long. Sakura thought in irritation as she snapped her eyes back open. A grunt of annoyance came from the Hyuuga behind her.

"GAH!" Naruto saw the two in the bed. He clamped his hands over his eyes. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING IN SAKURA-CHAN'S BED, NEJI!"

Muffled running was heard. Kakashi slid next to Naruto, and peeked in. Seeing them however, made him sigh in disappointment.

"We're dressed you imbecile." Neji heaved himself up, turned and glared at Naruto.

"Kakashi-sensei, go away you pervert." Sakura sat up beside her boyfriend, glaring at the dejected form of her ex-sensei. Sakura and Naruto still called Kakashi their sensei out of habit. Kakashi dutifully went away.

"Why did you barge in here in the first place Naruto?" Neji asked as he threw the covers back, and stood up.

Naruto peeked between his fingers, and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the jounin in a black tank top and his black pants.

"Oh, yeah, there's breakfast on the table! And it's still hot too!" Naruto grinned and ran back out.

"He…came in…just to…talk about food?" Sakura was emitting waves of killing intent, all towards one happy-go-lucky blonde.

"Hey, look at this." Neji was standing in front of the door. "You're name's here."

Sakura got out of bed and went to see what Neji was pointing at. There, on the door, was a gold plaque with her name engraved on it.

"It's same with the doors that has people in it…I wonder…" Neji went to his room, came back out a moment later with his things, and dump them on Sakura's bed. The plaque changed in front of Neji and Sakura's eyes into: Neji & Sakura.

"Cool!" Sakura was staring at the writing. Her stomach gave a growl. Neji chuckled.

"Come on, let's eat before Naruto finished the food." He pointed to the tables in the common room where everyone was.

* * *

"Look at today!" groaned Ron. "History of Magic, double Potions, Divination and double Defence Against the Dark Arts … Binns, Snape, Trelawney and that Umbridge woman all in one day! I wish Fred and George'd hurry up and get those Skiving Snackboxes sorted…"

"Do mine ears deceive me?" said Fred, arriving with George and squeezing on to the bench beside Harry. "Hogwarts prefects surely don't wish to skive off lessons?"

"Look what we've got today," said Ron grumpily, shoving his timetable under Fred's nose. "That's the worst Monday I've ever seen."

"Fair point, little bro," said Fred, scanning the column. "You can have a bit of Nosebleed Nougat cheap if you like."

"Why's it cheap?" said Ron suspiciously.

"Because you'll keep bleeding till you shrivel up, we haven't got an antidote yet," said George, helping himself to a kipper.

"You can ask Sakura, she's a medic. She can probably help you find an antidote." A familiar voice said behind the group.

"Mr Hatake!" Harry said.

"Yo, mind if I have a look at your timetable?"

Harry handed the silver haired man his timetable.

"Kakashi, my man!" Fred bounced over.

"What did you say about the cherry blossom? She knows the antidote?"

"I said she can probably help you find an antidote, but I'm not sure." Kakashi replied, scanning the sheet in his hand.

"Do you know where she is?"

"Outside the greenhouse."

Fred and George dashed away.

"Energetic, aren't they?" Kakashi gave the sheet back to Harry. "Well, I'm off. I'll send Sai to your first period room."

Kakashi ambled towards the Hall entrance, giving a lazy wave back.

"Is it really necessary to follow me where ever I go? I'm not helpless you know." Harry said irritably.

"We know, Harry." Hermione said, placating him. "But it's for your protection, and plus, this would be one of the ways which would prove that Voldemort had risen again."

"Yeah, but the thing is, it also made people say that Dumbledore is paranoid, and all this is for nothing." Ron said grumpily. "Heard a few third years talking about it."

"Never mind." Harry sighed. "Let's just go to our class."

Sai was there in front of the History of Magic classroom.

"Aren't you cold in that thing?" Ron asked as he pointed at Sai's short top, which revealed his stomach. Sai shook his head negative, while ignoring a few girls as they giggled and blushed.

Professor Binns droned on the subject of giant wars. Sai had listened for twenty minutes before he drifted off. The voice of the ghost teacher was hypnotising, plus it has no relevance in the mission, therefore, Sai reasoned that it'd be okay to ignore the whole thing. For the next hour and ten minutes, Sai drew on a parchment borrowed from Hermione.

After class, Sai followed Harry, Ron and Hermione across the damp courtyard, where a fine misty drizzle was falling. He listened silently at their conversation and watched with interest at Harry's awkward interaction with a dark haired girl named Cho Chang. He observed their body language and facial expressions, storing it away in his mind, wanting to check this sort of social interaction in a book.

"You're so tactless!"

"What? I only asked her if – "

"Couldn't you tell she wanted to talk to Harry on her own?"

"So? She could've done, I wasn't stopping – "

"Why on earth were you attacking her about her Quidditch team?"

"Attacking? I wasn't attacking her, I was only – "

"Who _cares_ if she supports the Tornados?"

"Oh, come on, half the people you see wearing those badges only bought them last season – "

"But what does it _matter_?"

"It means they're not real fans, they're just jumping on the bandwagon – "

"I believe that's the bell." Sai interrupted Ron and Hermione quietly. The two continued to bicker as the four walked towards Snape's dungeon. Harry was looking glum, and by the life of Sai, couldn't understand why.

Snape had ignored Sai the minute he stepped into the dungeon, and that was fine by him. He stood guard near the door, but also near Harry.

"Today we will be mixing a potion that often comes up at Ordinary Wizarding Level: the Draught of Peace, a potion to calm anxiety and soothe agitation. Be warned: if you are too heavy-handed with the ingredients you will put the drinker into a heavy and sometimes irreversible sleep, so you will need to pay close attention what you are doing." Sakura will be interested in this, Sai mused.

"The ingredients and method – " Snape flicked his wand " – are on the blackboard – " (they appeared there) " – you will find everything you need – " he flicked his wand again " – in the store cupboard – " (the door of the said cupboard sprang open) " – you have an hour and a half … start."

Sai watched as the students struggled with the fiddly potion. He copied the writing on the board to the back of the parchment where he had drawn on in History of Magic. He then rolled up the parchment and stuffed it into one of his pockets. He leaned back on the wall and crossed his arms and waited for the lesson to end.

* * *

Divination was not even worth talking about. It was a waste of time in Sai's opinion. The minute he stepped into that stuffy room filled with perfume and heat, Professor Trelawney had fluttered over like a huge insect, and proclaiming him one of the most unluckiest person in the world (besides Harry of course).

She had fell into her armchair dramatically, claiming that he had a life full of despairs, and a future filled with unmentionable horrors. Yeah, like he didn't know that. Sai was a shinobi; the 'unmentionable horrors' would be the killings, as his job was required to do most of the time. But the Divination professor had kept fluttered about him as he stood near the trap door (more fresh air that way), and predicting what he already knew. He finally drew an ink tiger to threaten her, saying that if she doesn't stop wasting his time and go on with the goddamn lesson, he'd make the tiger swallow her alive, letting _her_ life end in 'a horrible tragedy'.

Sai was as emotionless as ever, but something about the Divination professor had rubbed him the wrong way, making him feel what annoyance was like. Ron was laughing about the whole thing and was currently recounting it to Hermione while Harry grinned at the sidelines.

"You should've seen Professor Trelawney's face when the ink tiger appeared! She shrieked and her glasses slid off a bit. The tiger was snarling and everything!"

"Wish I could do that, that way Professor Trelawney would leave me alone." Harry said longingly.

When they entered the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom they found Professor Umbridge already seated at the teacher's desk, wearing the fluffy pink cardigan of the night before and the black velvet bow on top of her head. The class was quiet as it entered the room; Professor Umbridge was, as yet, an unknown character and nobody knew how strict a disciplinarian she was likely to be. Sai closed the door when everyone had entered. The sickenly sweet smile Umbridge was wearing before slid off her face like slime at the sight of the guard.

"Do you have any business here, Mr…?"

"Sai."

"Is that your family name?"

"No, but I don't have a family name."

"Well then, _Sai_, please tell me what you are doing in my classroom when class is about to start."

"I am here as a guard, surely you knew about it from last night." Sai smiled his fake smile. He thought it was friendly, but apparently not. Umbridge had started to grow pink, thinking that the artist was mocking her.

"Of _course_ I knew you're at Hogwarts as a guard!"

"Then why are you asking?"

"I am _asking_," Umbridge huffed "_why_ you are in my class!"

"To guard."

"Yes, well," Professor Umbridge was red in the face now "please _guard_ outside then. You have no reason to be in here!"

"Yes I have, I am under my superior's orders to be in the classroom."

"_Do you know who I am?_"

"Yes, you are Professor Umbridge, teaching the Defence Against the Dark Arts for this year."

Harry was hiding his grin. He could practically see steam coming out of the toad woman's ears.

"I am Dolores Jane Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister for Magic!"

Sai cocked his head to one side.

"What is an undersecretary? Is it like a glorified secretary position?"

Soft snorts and snickers could be heard in the room. Harry was grinning behind his book, Ron was sniggering, stuffing his fist inside his mouth for an attempt to keep quiet, and Hermione's mouth was hanging open.

"Silence!" Umbridge shrieked. The class fell silent at once. She turned her furious gaze on the still fake-smiling Sai. "I _demand_ you as a Professor of Hogwarts _and_ as Senior Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic that you _leave my classroom_!"

"Technically, this isn't _your_ classroom." Sai replied evenly. "And since I am employed under Professor Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, acting as a guard to this school, I take no orders from anybody besides my superior and my employer. Your position in the ministry meant nothing to me, as it is irrelevant to my task, and your position as a mere Professor in this school, is of no concern of mine. I outrank you, and therefore, will heed no orders from you."

"_Outrank?!_" Before Umbridge could say anything else, Sai continued.

"As said from last night, '_do not give us any reason to take action against you_', with your very firm determination of getting me, a guard, out of this classroom gave me reasons to suspect an ulterior motive. Why do you not want me inside? Have you something to hide?" Umbridge spluttered in indignation. "Therefore, I have reason enough to take action against you."

"_You dare insult me!_" Professor Umbridge whipped out her wand, but found herself pointing at nothing. A sharp prick at her neck halted her movements. A sharp intake of breath from the collective students was heard. Sai bended down, his left hand holding a sharp kunai to her throat, his right hand clamped firmly on her wrist, forcing her hand open, causing the wand to clatter onto the table.

"You would do well to remember," Sai's quiet voice sounded loud to the people in the room. "That I am under no obligation to you. I only held myself back because of the Headmaster's wish, for I am to protect the school, and everything within it, including trash like you. But that does not mean I can't do anything." He pressed the blade harder against the trembling woman's throat, not enough to draw blood, but enough to feel uncomfortable. "Report me if you will, get this ministry of yours to involve itself if you must, but it will have no effect whatsoever, all that will do is to draw unnecessary suspicion onto yourself."

Sai released Umbridge, letting her scramble away from him.

"I am elite. I have no emotion. I would feel nothing – nothing at all, to do the unspeakable."

Sai went back to the back of the classroom. Suddenly, the class didn't feel it was funny anymore when they assumed Sai was mocking their teacher. Umbridge straightened her clothing nervously. She addressed the class, voice still trembling, acting as if Sai was a part of the wall.

"We – well, good afternoon!" she said.

A few people mumbled 'good afternoon' in reply.

"Tut, tut," said Professor Umbridge. "_That_ won't do, now, will it? I should like you, please, to reply 'Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge". One more time, please. Good afternoon, class!"

"Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge," they chanted back at her.

"There, now," said Professor Umbridge sweetly. "That wasn't too difficult, was it? Wands away and quills out, please."

When Harry was sent out of the classroom, Sai drew an ink dog to accompany him. The dog came to life much to the amazement of those who had not seen his skill before. Professor Umbridge had her lips pursed, staring at the creation, but did not utter a word.

"Take him with you, as I cannot be in two places at once." Sai said softly.

Harry looked at the dog. It looked suspiciously like Sirius's animal form. The wizard glanced at the guard. He looked back emotionlessly, but gave a small wink. Harry smiled softly and went out the classroom, the huge ink canine followed dutifully beside him.

* * *

When the Defence Against the Dark Arts class had ended, Sai followed Ron and Hermione out. A few of the students gave a wide berth from him.

"Oh, for heaven's sake!" Hermione snapped at Lavender, who was pressed against the wall, edging away from Sai as she tried to get out of the narrow door without touching him. "He's not going to bite!"

"You won't – er – do the unspeakable to Professor Umbridge will you?" Ron asked awkwardly as they headed towards the Great Hall.

Sai's dark gaze turned to Ron.

"It depends."

Ron gulped.

Dinner at the Great Hall was not a pleasant experience for Harry. The news of his shouting match with Umbridge had spread like wildfire. But the conversations did not only talk about him, the news of Sai had pointed a weapon at the Professor had spread rapidly. Now students were glancing at the six guards stationed around the Hall in frightened glances.

"Did you have to do that?" Sakura asked Sai as they ate in the Gryffindor table.

Sai shrugged.

"She got the message quicker than me trying to say it to her."

Sakura rolled her eyes, but smirked. She raised her eyes to the staff table on the dais and saw Kakashi bending down to hear what Umbridge is saying. Judging by her flustered look and her constant pointing towards the Gryffindor table, Sakura made a shrewd guess that it's about Sai.

And she was right.

"This is unacceptable! That – that _boy_ had threatened me! With a weapon too!"

Kakashi blinked lazily.

"Had he any reason to do it?"

"I just told him to get out of my class! His presence will disturb the students!"

"Then I believed he did the right thing to remain in there." Kakashi's gaze was steely.

"Wh – _what_?" Umbridge spluttered.

Kakashi raised a hand to his ear, where his wireless communicator was. Dumbledore had allowed the electronic devices in the school only for the guards. Kakashi conversed with Sai in their language. When he finished he turned back to Umbridge.

"I shall offer no apologies to what my subordinate had done. Rather, I would like you to leave us to our own devices, your actions may hinder us to do our jobs."

Umbridge opened her mouth in outrage. Before she uttered any words, Kakashi went on.

"To get the Ministry involved would not be advisable either." Kakashi single eye stared into Umbridge's. "It would not do to cause an International incident would it? We are under strict contract with the headmaster, and nothing could break it."

He straightened up, gave a quick inclination of his head, and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"This…" Umbridge was furious, and was at a loss for words. She turned to Professor McGonagall, who had been watching the entire exchange next to her. "He – he can't do this!"

Minerva smiled slightly.

"He can, actually. He has every reason to question everything anyone is doing. You might want to watch yourself, Dolores, the Headmaster has hired one of the best."

* * *

Back in the shinobi's common room, they were organizing themselves for night watches. For tonight, it has been decided that Gaara can handle half of the entire watch by himself, since he doesn't sleep, and it only took a few short hours of meditation for him to 'recharge'. Plus he can send out his sand eyes around the castle grounds. Then at three in the morning, Kakashi and Sai will patrol for an hour and a half. At four-thirty, Sakura and Neji will take over until six, where Naruto, with his Bushins, can take the rest until nine, where classes start. They'll take turns doing the different shifts each day, to increase the probability of being unpredictable to any one who might be watching the shifts.

Kakashi, Sakura, Naruto and Neji then went to the four houses for announcements.

"_Mimbulus mimbletonia_." Kakashi said to the portrait of the Fat Lady. It swung open, admitting him inside. The noisy atmosphere in the common room died down, eyes trained on the tall figure entering the room. Kakashi coughed.

"I'm here to inform you about some of the rules. Everyone will be back no later than nine o'clock at night, and you're only allowed out at six-thirty the earliest. Anyone who is caught wandering the halls in between these times would be severely punished. We will catch the offenders no matter what tricks they use – including invisibility cloaks."

Kakashi caught a guilty start from Harry, Ron and Hermione.

"I've been told that there will be occasional visits to this village, Hogsmeade, is that right?"

Mumbles of affirmation met his ears.

"Hang on, you can't be saying that you're gonna cancel the trips do you?" Fred exclaimed.

Shouts of protest immediately rose. Kakashi raised his hand and the noise fell away.

"Don't jump to conclusions please. No, I'm not cancelling the trips, however, you will need to stay in pairs in the crowded areas, and stay in groups of _at least_ three when wandering areas with less people. Such as this Shrieking Shack I heard so much about. If you wish to return earlier than the designated time, be sure to have a guard with you, or else you are not allowed to leave the village. Have I made myself clear?"

Nods went around and Kakashi gave them a smile behind his mask.

"Good. I'll be going then, have a good night." Kakashi poofed out.

Kakashi was now walking down towards the Slytherin dungeons. He had a feeling something's going to happen. A muffled rumble was heard and Kakashi went into a sprint. He hurriedly said the password and passed through the portrait hole and into Slytherin common room.

"What's going on here?" A glance at the scene told him all he needed to know.

Sakura was holding Malfoy up by the collar. The fact that a slight build, pink haired girl who was half a head shorter than the boy was lifting him and shaking him like a rag doll had discouraged anyone to approach to help. A fairly large crater was near where Sakura was. Kakashi sighed.

"Sakura…"

"He made a crack about my hair!" Sakura shouted, shaking Malfoy to make her point. "He even called me a wench! Never mind that I'm older than him, never mind I could _kill_ him _right now_!"

"Sakura…"

"And these useless bunch he called friends tried to attack me with their wands!"

"Sakura put the kid down."

The medic huffed, but obeyed. She threw him onto a couch none too gently. The force of which she threw Malfoy had made the couch slid a few feet away from its original position. Sakura was pouting. She stormed out of the common room, tiny craters appearing underneath her feet. Kakashi stared at the mess she left and sighed.

"A note of advice." Kakashi said, turning towards the portrait hole. "Don't mess around with us. Especially not Sakura or Gaara."

* * *

Reviews please! XD 


	7. Detention and the Intruder

**Disclaimer:** Same

**Author's Note:** I am absolutely _thrilled_ about the reviews XD Keep them coming! A few answers for some of the reviewers who suggested ideas to me (love them by the way XD) I'll try and not make the ninjas running roughshod over the wizards - kinda hard right now cuz I don't know a lot of the spells lol forgot them - I'll definately put more magic in as the story as it progresses though. More Sakura/Neji is a popular suggestion. I will! Just not in this chapter lol. I'll put in more gradually. More Sakura will be in the next chapter. A sneak preview. A bigger attack on Hogwarts will arrive in the near future.

**Enjoy!

* * *

**

Chapter 7 – Detention and the Intruder 

The next day, it was still drizzling rain. Today it was Neji's turn to guard Harry. He arrived at the Great Hall in the morning, quite grumpy. When it was Sakura and Neji's turn to take their watch, Kakashi had sent Sai back to their quarters to wake them while he continued to patrol until they've arrived. Sai had oh-so-charmingly drawn ink mice and spiders, sent them under the door, scuttled into Sakura and Neji's bed, and crawled them up their bodies. Needless to say, Sakura had woke, saw the forms of the mice and spiders in the dark, thought they were real, and had screamed like a banshee, effectively waking Neji up with one of his ears deaf for five minutes. Sai had received a beating, but all minor wounds, since Neji and Sakura were still groggy.

The Hyuuga sat down in a towering bad mood next to Harry.

"Whoa, blimey, mate, you alright?" Ron asked.

Neji glared at the lanky youth.

"No."

"Sakura seemed ill tempered as well." Hermione said. "What happened?"

"Nothing." Neji glowered. They left the Great Hall for double period of Charms, followed by double period of Transfiguration. On the way, they saw Sai with a black eye, a cut on his forehead, bandages wrapped around his normally exposed middle. He smiled a fake smile at the still ill tempered Hyuuga.

"Has your temper gone down yet?" The artist dodged a kick aimed for his head. "I'll take it as a no. Please tell Sakura I apologize for the scare. I'll use bigger animals next time." The ex-ROOT member dodged two punches and another kick before retreating swiftly.

"Er," Harry was looking at the pale-eyed youth. "Is…he alright?"

"Yes, unfortunately." Neji growled. He snapped his gaze at the stationary teens. "Well? Get a move on, you're going to be late."

Neji's mood had lightened as the day went on. He was intrigued by the spells casted in the lessons, he had observed closely for the Summoning Charm and the Vanishing Spell. Then the group crossed the damp grass towards the Care of Magical Creatures lesson.

At Hagrid's cottage, Sakura was standing guard next to the teacher, having relieved Gaara, who was now walking towards the greenhouse to change with Naruto. When the Bowtruckle scratched Harry because Malfoy had distracted him when he had talked about Hagrid, Sakura healed him on the spot while Neji had snapped at the class to be quiet and go on with their work silently. At Herbology, Neji stood at the opened door. The already humid greenhouse was even more so in this damp weather. He looked at his white robe top, and frowned when he saw it had turned from the once pristine white cloth into grey. He needed to get his clothes cleaned.

After class, he followed Harry back to the Great Hall, listened to the captain of the Quidditch team berating Harry for allowing himself to land in detention with Umbridge. He still did not get what the game was about, really. Maybe he should watch the team practice. He watched as Harry scarf down food and went towards Professor Umbridge's office at five o'clock.

When Harry knocked on the door she called, "Come in," in a sugary voice. He entered cautiously, looking around with Neji following like a shadow.

Harry had known this office under three of its previous occupants. In the days when Gilderoy Lockhart had lived here it had been plastered in beaming portraits of himself. When Lupin had occupied it, it was likely you would meet some fascinating Dark creature in a cage or tank if you came to call. In the impostor Moody's days it had been packed with various instruments and artefacts for the detection of wrongdoing and concealment.

Now, however, it looked totally unrecognisable. The surfaces had all been draped in lacy covers and cloths. There were several vases full of dried flowers, each one residing on its own doily, and on one of the walls was a collection of ornamental plates, each decorated with a large technicolour kitten wearing a different bow around its neck. He heard Neji choking from behind him, and he wished he could follow suit. They were so foul that Harry stared at them, transfixed, until Professor Umbridge spoke again.

"Good evening, Mr Potter."

Harry started and looked around. He had not noticed her at first because she was wearing a luridly flowered set of robes that blended only too well with the tablecloth on the desk behind her.

"Evening Professor Umbridge," Harry said stiffly.

"Well, sit down," she said, pointing towards a small table draped in lace beside which she had drawn up a straight-backed chair. A piece of blank parchment lay on the table, apparently waiting for him.

The Professor shifted her gaze, and eyes widened. She only just noticed the silent Neji when Harry had stepped a foot inside the room. Her brows snapped down.

"What are you doing here…Mr?"

"Neji Hyuuga."

"Mr Hyuuga, what are you doing here with Mr Potter?"

"I am his guard for the day."

"I say he'd be perfectly fine with me."

"And I say that that is irrelevant. Need I have a 'discussion' with you like Sai had yesterday?"

Umbridge trembled.

"This is a detention session for Potter!"

"I am well aware of that." His pearl-white eyes stared into Umbridge's bulging ones. He smiled slowly. "But again, that is irrelevant."

Neji stepped into the room, and closed the door firmly behind him. Closing the matter.

"Er," began Harry before Umbridge could say anything else to the tall youth behind him. "Professor Umbridge. Er – before we start, I – I wanted to ask you a … a favour."

Her bulging eyes narrowed as she shifted her attention back to the black hair green-eyed boy.

"Oh, yes?"

"Well, I'm … I'm in the Gryffindor Quidditch team. And I was supposed to be at the tryouts for the new Keeper at five o'clock on Friday and I was – was wondering whether I could skip detention that night and do it – do it another night … instead …"

"Oh, no," said Umbridge, smiling so widely that she looked as though she had just swallowed a particularly juicy fly. It made Neji sick. "Oh, no, no, no. This is your punishment for spreading evil, nasty, attention-seeking stories, Mr Potter, and punishments certainly cannot be adjusted to suit the guilty one's convenience. No, you will come here at five o'clock tomorrow, and the next day, and on Friday too, and you will do your detentions as planned. I think it rather a good thing that you are missing something you really want to do. It ought to reinforce the lesson I am trying to teach you."

"What if I do the detention along with him?" Neji asked. Harry's wide eyes and Umbridge's surprised face greeted him. "I'll do the detentions with him, and I'll stay on Friday while he went for this tryout, and did extra detention some other time?" He had no idea what prompted him to say that. But the disappointed look on Harry's face coupled with the sadistic one on Umbridge may have something to do with it.

Umbridge grinned.

"Oh, no can do, Mr Hyuuga. But now that you offered, maybe you _can_ stay and do the detention along with Mr Potter. Since you refused to leave him to his detention, why don't you join him?"

Harry gaped at the Professor. She can't do that! Neji nodded his head in acceptance. Umbridge had phrased her intention into a question. To refuse is to run away, and he refused to be a coward.

Harry felt the blood surge to his head and heard a thumping noise in his ears. So he told 'evil, nasty, attention-seeking stories' did he? And to drag Neji down with him is not right!

She was watching him with her head slightly to one side, still smiling widely, as though she knew exactly what he was thinking and was waiting to see whether he would start shouting again. With a massive effort, Harry looked away from her, dropped his schoolbag beside the straight-backed chair and sat down.

"There," said Umbridge sweetly, "we're getting better at controlling our temper already, aren't we? Now, you are going to be doing some lines for me, Mr Potter. No, not with your quill," she added, as Harry bent down to open his bag. "You're going to be using a rather special one of mine. Here you are."

She handed him a long, thin black quill with an unusually sharp point. Umbridge then pulled out her wand, and conjured up another desk and chair next to Harry.

"Here you are, Mr Hyuuga, you'll be doing the same thing as Mr Potter." She handed him the same quill Harry had received. She turned to Harry.

"I want you to write, _I must not tell lies_," she told him softly.

"How many times?" Harry asked, with a creditable imitation of politeness.

"Oh, as long as it takes for the message to _sink in_," said Umbridge sweetly. "Off you go."

The tone that Umbridge had used made Neji's hackles rise. He did not like this. The woman then turned back towards him.

"For you, you may only go when Mr Potter himself is free to go. I think I'll make you write, _I must be obedient_."

Neji showed no emotion on the outside, but on the inside, he imagined himself stabbing the toad woman repeatedly with a kunai. That image made him feels slightly better. Umbridge moved over to her desk, sat down and bent over a stack of parchment that looked like essays for marking. Harry raised the sharp black quill, then realised what was missing.

"You haven't given me any ink," he said.

"Oh, you won't need ink," said Professor Umbridge, with the merest suggestion of a laugh in her voice.

Harry and Neji started at the same time, writing their given lines. Neji twitched and Harry gasped out in pain. The words had appeared on the parchment in what appeared to be shining red ink. At the same time, the words had appeared on the back of Harry and Neji's right hand, cut into their skin as though traced there by a scalpel. The skin healed over again in front of their eyes, leaving the place where it had been slightly redder than before but quite smooth.

Harry looked around at Umbridge. She was watching him, her wide, toadlike mouth stretched in a smile.

"Yes?"

"Nothing," said Harry quietly.

Neji approved of Harry. He did not show any weakness to the vile woman. He looked down at the quill, and wrote another line of '_I must be obedient_'. Again, the words appeared on the back of his hand at the same time the words were written. He stared thoughtfully at it, ignoring the pain, having experienced much worse than this. The words were written in his own blood. It was a torture device. His pale eyes narrowed and smirked. He had caught Umbridge with her foxtail out. He doubted her method of a detention would be approved. Even Snape, who hated Harry with all his might, had never done something like this (from what he had heard from Ron and Harry anyway). He glanced up at the professor, who was studying him. He might as well have a little fun with her. Sakura's going to be mad at him later though…

Neji started writing fluidly, non-stop. Barely gave his hand enough time to heal over before he wrote the next line. Harry stared at Neji. Doesn't he feel any pain? Harry was working at a steady pace, giving time for his hand to heal before writing. But Neji just kept on going! In fact, Neji had started to look bored. His left elbow was resting on the table, his hand cupping his cheek, supporting his head while his right hand flew across the paper. Professor Umbridge had abandoned her work and was staring at him like Harry.

A trickle of blood started to slide down Neji's slanted hand, pooling on the table and blotching the parchment. He had shut his mind off to the pain. It was quite an easy thing to do, considering he had suffered worse and still need to battle back in Konoha. Soon, the two feet long parchment was filled with his writing, in neat three columns. The blood was practically pouring like a small river, soaking the side of the parchment. Neji shifted so his white robe top wouldn't get bloodstains. Harry had looked away, feeling a bit sick, and continued writing his lines, at a slower - and safer - pace. Umbridge was looking positively green. It's one thing to see a small amount of blood, but it's another when it's pouring out of a person, with the said person having no apparent regards for it.

Neji looked up. The corner of his mouth lifted slightly.

"Professor Umbridge, it seems that I had run out of parchment to write on. I would need another please."

Umbridge took out another leaf of the paper, and looked very reluctant to go anywhere _near_ Neji. She saw the challenging look in his eyes, and squared her shoulder, walked up to him, trying not to look at his hand, and handed him the requested item. She would not lose to this freak of nature! She's not sure if he's even _human_ with those eyes.

Darkness fell outside of Umbridge's window. Neji had fill three parchments, and was on his fourth. During the middle, he had swallowed a pill.

"What was that?" Umbridge asked.

"Blood replenishing pill," Neji said innocently. "It would not do that I grew weak from blood loss before I finished my detention with Potter now would it?"

"Why would you have something like that on you?"

Neji smiled, lifted his hand that was still dripping blood up to his face, and licked a trickle that was threatening to fall onto his pristine clothes.

"It's usual for the guards to carry it. We're used to losing a large amount of blood."

Being Sakura's boyfriend must have rubbed off some of her personality on him. On the outside he looked indifferent, but on the inside he was practically grinning in sadistic glee at the look on Umbridge's face. She finally couldn't take it anymore.

"Come here Mr Potter," she said.

Harry stood up. His hand was stinging painfully. But that must be nothing compared to Neji. He had taken strength from him during this torture of a detention because Neji wasn't bothered by it. It was obvious that Neji did what he did just to infuriate and to play with Umbridge. He looked down and saw that the cut had healed, but that the skin there was red raw.

"Hand," she said.

He extended it. She took it in her own. Harry repressed a shudder as she touched him with her thick, stubby fingers on which she wore a number of ugly old rings.

"Tut, tut, I don't seem to have made much of an impression yet," she said, smiling. "Well, we'll just have to try again tomorrow evening, won't we? You may go."

Neji stood and walked out of the office with Harry, blood still dripping off his hand and onto the floor below. He then remembered something and turned back.

"I almost forgot. Would you be so kind as to give me one of those quills? It is most interesting, and I'm sure Ibiki-san back home would love it."

Umbridge shuddered, not sure if she wanted to ask who this Ibiki person is. But her curiosity overpowered her.

"Who is this Ibiki?"

Neji smiled politely.

"He specialized in torture; the best in his field. You can hear the screams of his prisoners in the dead of night – even through stonewalls. And – "

"Enough! Yes, take it and leave! I changed my mind, you don't have to do detention with Potter here!"

"Thank you," Neji took the black quill. "But I'll keep to my word. I will accompany Harry for the rest of his detentions. After all, I am true too my words."

He turned back and walked out, to where Harry was listening with wide eyes. When the door shut behind him (leaving a bloody imprint on the door handle), Neji started to chuckle in the most un-Neji like way.

"You didn't have to do that!" Harry exclaimed. "You could've gotten off!"

"No, I think I'd rather play around with her a bit more." Neji was holding the quill with his right hand, while he searched the small pack clipped on his waist for bandages. He pulled out a roll, and single-handedly wrapped up the mess that was his hand, stopping the flow of blood.

"But doesn't that hurt?" Harry asked, staring aghast at his bandaged hand, now starting to turn pink from the blood.

"It doesn't bother me. I've suffered worse." Neji took a thoughtful look at his hand. "But it must still hurt for you. Come, we'll go see Sakura."

It must be midnight now. The halls were deserted, and the soft light around the castle was their only source of light apart from the moon that shined through some of the windows. On the way, they passed Gaara, who was on his round. They kept the same shifts from yesterday. He raised a non-existent eyebrow at the sight of Neji's bandages.

"Is Sakura still in the rooms?"

Gaara nodded. He walked on without another word.

Neji and Harry soon arrived at the portrait of the knight. It was dozing, but at the sound of footsteps, it immediately became alert. Tossing blonde hair out of his blue eyes, the knight called out.

"Who goes there!" Before seeing it was Neji and Harry.

"Good evening, good sirs, password?"

"Lemon drops."

Harry started. The password seemed oddly familiar. It sounded like one of Dumbledore's passwords, which he knew used sweets' names as passwords often. The portrait swung open. Neji stepped in, followed by Harry.

"Neji, where have you been?" Naruto said from the table. He was eating a large bowl of ramen.

"Where'd you get that?" Neji asked, staring at the bowl.

"That house elf is really nice! He asked what I would like to eat, I said ramen, and ten minutes later, I got one!" Naruto grinned blissfully. He saw Harry behind the pale boy. "Oh, hi Harry!"

"Neji?! What happened to your hand?" Sakura flew out of her room, heading straight towards him.

"Where's Kakashi?" Neji asked instead.

"Here." The Copy Nin emerged from his room. Neji handed the black quill to him.

"I think Ibiki-san would like this."

Kakashi raised his eyebrow. "Oh? Why?"

"It can be used as a torture device. Granted, it doesn't have that much of an effect compared to his other tools, but he may find a way to tweak it to his liking."

"And how did you know that?"

Neji unwrapped his hand, showing them the writing that was engraved into his hand.

"Harry here received the same treatment. It was in Umbridge's detention. Oh, speaking of which, Sakura, could you take a look at his hand?"

Sakura took Harry's hand in her own and stared at the raw spot.

"His wasn't as serious as yours! What the hell did you do?"

"Uh…had a little fun with Umbridge?" Neji replied tentatively.

"You, mister, have some explaining to do!" Sakura said, while she healed the raw skin on Harry's hand.

Harry flexed his hand. It didn't hurt anymore, and the skin was at its normal colour. It didn't look raw.

"Thanks."

"No problem, Harry." Sakura smiled. "Naruto, why don't you take him back to his dorm while I look at Neji here."

"Okay!" Naruto jumped up, having finished his ramen. He opened the portrait hole, and waited for Harry to climb through. "What did that crazy woman do to you?"

"Yes, what did she do?" Kakashi asked once the pair was out. Sakura was healing Neji's hand in an armchair near the fireplace. The flesh was healed in no time. Neji leaned back and told them what had transpired during the last few hours.

* * *

Wednesday, Thursday and Friday's detentions were just as worst as Tuesday's. The sessions got shorter though. When the words had started to etch itself into Harry's hand, and started to heal a lot slower, Umbridge would let Harry go. Neji accompanied Harry each night for detention, even though his day guards were different. He still wrote with the same ferocity as the first time, which was probably also one of the reasons why the detentions are getting shorter. After which Neji would take Harry to Sakura to get his hands healed. Harry would also watch as Sakura slapped Neji on the upside of the head when she saw his hand. She would always lecture him about taking things too far. That didn't stop Neji though. He just gave Sakura a kiss, and that would shut her up. 

It was after Friday's detention, when Kakashi and Neji was taking the nine o'clock to eleven o'clock watch. Kakashi was walking down the corridor where the staff room was while Neji patrolled near the Owlery.

Kakashi was reading Icha Icha as he walked. Passing the staff room, he paused, hearing noise, but walked on again when he realized it was from the room. After a few more steps, he paused again. This time he was sure the noise was not from the room he had just passed. He closed the book with a soft 'thump' and pocketed. He glanced around. An unmistakeable sound of a 'clink' met his ears, coming from near the window. He hid in the shadows and head towards it. He was a few feet away from the window when the glass shattered. He jumped into action and dodged the shurikens thrown at him.

"Neji, I need you to get the others out. Get Gaara here where the staff room is. You go and guard the Gryffindor entrance, use your Byakugan. Get Sakura and Sai to guard Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw, and put Naruto on Slytherin. That way he'll be closer to me in case I need back up." Kakashi ordered through his headset as he clashed his kunai against his unknown enemy.

"Hai!"

The dark figure jumped back and threw another kunai, this time with an explosive tag attached. Kakashi jumped away just as it met the ground, where it exploded on impact.

"What in the name of – " Professor McGonagall had bursted out of the staff room.

"GET BACK IN!" Kakashi roared. He made a few hand signs. "_Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!_"

A huge fireball raced towards the figure. The fireball's height was almost as high as the ceiling, and the width almost filled the hall, making the intruder unable to run anywhere. The unknown man shot a huge water ball back towards Kakashi, the same size as the fireball. The two balls collided and hot steam flooded the corridor, momentarily rendering sight useless. Kakashi used this chance and ran towards the staff room. The door was still open, revealing Professors Grubbly-Plank, McGonagall and Umbridge, the only three occupying the room.

"I told you to get back in didn't I?" Kakashi yelled. Before he could slam the door shut, a sharp blade had sliced through the hinges of the door, missing Kakashi's head by centimetres. The door toppled over, useless. Umbridge shrieked a spell into the smoky corridor blindly. Kakashi whirled around. A sword was rapidly descending towards Kakashi. He hurriedly snapped his arm up, using the metal plates on his gloves to deflect it. Kakashi used Shunshin no Jutsu and appeared behind his opponent, then using a kunai, he sliced across his neck. The body turned into water, splattering down onto the stone floor. 'Mizu Bushin no Jutsu.' Kakashi thought.

Kakashi backed up, his back towards the witches who had their wands out. They helped by casting spells into the fog blindly. It bought him some time at least. Kakashi took out a scroll; bit his thumb, unrolling the scroll while sliding the bleeding thumb across it.

"_Kuchiyose: Doton: Tsuiga no Jutsu!_"

There was a rumble. Then there was the sound of crumbling rock and a shout. Professor McGonagall dissipated the cloud of smoke with a wave of her wand. ("I can't believe we didn't do that in the first place." Professor McGonagall said to Grubbly-Plank.)

A man clad in pitch black clothes were rendered immobile, for dogs of different sizes had burst out of the ground, and clamping their jaws around vital points of his body. If he tried to make hand seals, his wrists would be torn open. If he tried to run, his legs would be broken. If he tried to dodge, the large bulldog would break his neck. Kakashi's focus drew to the forehead protector the man had on. There was a scratch through the symbol of the Mist – a rogue Mist Nin. The man chuckled.

"As expected from the great Copy Nin." The man vanished in a cloud of smoke.

'Dammit, a Kage Bushin!' Kakashi lifted his forehead protector, exposing his Sharingan, just in case.

"Mr Hatake?" Professor McGonagall questioned. Kakashi glanced back with his red eye.

"He's not gone yet, Professor. Keep your guard up."

A swirl of water appeared in front of him. Out of the swirl came a barrage of kunais and shuriken. If Kakashi was by himself, he could easily avoid them. But he had people behind him, none of whom would be fast enough to deflect the weapons with their magic or dodge out of the way. Thankfully, the decision was made for him.

A wall of sand rose up in front of the doorway, effectively blocking the attack. Gaara had taken the Mist Nin by surprise.

"_Sabakuro_."

"GAH!" Gaara's Desert Prison had trapped the man.

"Thanks, Gaara."

The Kazekage's red clothing stirred as the sand around him grew restless. He gave a nod in reply.

"What do we do now?" Professor Grubbly-Plank asked.

Kakashi's eyes narrowed as he smiled.

"We question him. Thank you ladies, sorry for the disruption, we'll handle from here."

"Shouldn't we get the Headmaster?" Professor McGonagall asked, her face pale.

"No need, I will go to him shortly. He's from the Water Country. I would like to question him first and see why he's so far away from his homeland."

Professor Umbridge's eyes snapped towards the man imprisoned in sand, her eyes dark with rage. She pointed her wand at the man.

"_Crucio._"

In a flash, the missing-nin was writhing in pain.

"Dolores! That is – " McGonagall started in fury.

"What must be done must be done." Umbridge replied huffily.

Kakashi walked over to the still writhing ninja. Before he got there however, the Mist Nin looked up at Gaara.

"Huh," he sneered weakly. "A sand brat. Not only that, the Kazekage to boot. I remember your father…should've killed you when he had the chance."

Gaara's eyes narrowed. He clenched his hand suddenly. The man screamed in pain. His left hand had just been crushed by sand.

"What are you doing here?" The Kazekage asked in a low voice. Blood started to trickle out from the sand.

The Mist Nin smirked in reply. His mouth firmly shut. He grunted in pain as sand started to tighten his left forearm warningly. Kakashi stepped up to him, lowering his face until he was eye level with the imprisoned man. His Sharingan activated. There was a moment of silence before Kakashi straightened back up.

"I've got all the information I need to know." He lowered his protector, covering his red eye once more. He was sweating slightly. Kakashi turned and smiled at the witches and ushered them in back into the room.

"Come, ladies, you must be in shock. Sorry about the mess in the hall and the door though." He bent and heaved the heavy door back up, steadying it until it was placed where it was supposed to be. "I don't suppose there's a spell to fix this?"

"_Reparo_," Professor Grubbly-Planks waved her wand. The blots and screws flew back to the door, fixing itself. Before Kakashi closed the door fully, the room's occupants heard Gaara saying something softly.

"_Sabaku Sousou!_" A sort of crunching mixed with squelching noise was heard. The door clicked shut.

"There, the door's good as new!" Kakashi said in an overly cheerful voice.

"What was that noise out there before?" Umbridge asked

"Nothing for you to worry about. Now, if you would excuse me, I would need to check on the children and to speak with Professor Dumbledore." Kakashi teleported away in a puff of smoke.

Professor Umbridge threw open the door. The hall was a mess. There were puddles of water on the floor, upturned stones and a shattered window with fragments of glass strewed over the floor. Gaara, the dogs and the sand imprisoned man were nowhere to be seen.

* * *

Glossary of Terms:

_Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu_ – Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique

_Shunshin no Jutsu_ – Body Flicker Technique

_Mizu Bushin no Jutsu_ – Water Clone Technique 

_Kuchiyose: Doton: Tsuiga no Jutsu_ – Summoning: Earth Release: Tracking Fang Technique

_Kage Bushin_ – Shadow Clone

_Sabakuro_ – Desert Prison

_Sabaku Sousou_ – Desert Funeral

Most of the terms had come from a site called Endless Naruto – a really useful site! I also jotted down a few technique names from Naruto Movies as well – to be used in the future!


	8. Underneath the Underneath

**Disclaimer:** The usual

**Author's Note:** An update later than usual lol But here's chapter 8! Enjoy!**

* * *

**

Chapter 8 – Underneath the Underneath 

Kakashi checked in on his other team members. They were guarding from inside the house dorms and had gathered students into their common room. After all, scaling stonewalls and cliffs were not impossible for ninjas. After making sure that the students in Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were all right, he left for Gryffindor.

The Fat Lady looked nervous; her eyes darting about, the corridor. She spotted Kakashi and saw his questioning look. She smiled shakily.

"This reminded me of when Sirius Black was in Hogwarts two years ago – he … he tore my canvas nearly to shreds when I didn't let him in."

Kakashi nodded in understanding.

"Ah, rest assured, I don't think an incident like that would happen tonight. _Mimbulus mimbletonia_."

The portrait swung open, admitting him inside. Sleepy eyes of Gryffindor students in their pyjamas greeted him as he stepped into the common room. Gaara was there, conversing with Neji, who had just deactivated his bloodline limit.

"Mr Hatake? What's going on?" Ron asked, yawning widely.

Kakashi smiled.

"Nothing too major, just a minor set back." He walked through the throngs of people, who crowded around to ask what was happening. He successfully evaded their questions and arrived beside Neji and Gaara. He looked at the Kazekage.

"The man…?"

"Disposed of." Gaara replied emotionlessly.

Kakashi nodded. He then told them what he had told Naruto, Sai and Sakura before.

"I couldn't get much information out of Sharingan. Someone had tempered with his memory, making him unable to remember anything other than his name, his past and his objective, which is to scout the grounds, and to cause disturbance within the school. There is nothing in his memory about his mission – such as who had sent him, why, where his boss is – anything of that sort was wiped."

"So he is just a means to an end then." Neji said. Kakashi nodded.

"I need to speak to the headmaster. We have not been told that shinobis were involved. Unless, of course, he doesn't know about their involvement, which seems the most likely answer." He turned to face the red hair. "Gaara, could you check in on the Professors? Both in the staff rooms and in their quarters?"

The shinobi from Suna nodded once, and disappeared in a whirl of sand.

"What shall I tell them?" Neji asked, his hand sweeping over the crowd in the common room. "Should they sleep here for the rest of the night?"

Kakashi looked around the room and nodded.

"It will be a tight fit, and they may woke up with kinks in their necks, but better be safe than sorry. I'd rather have them complain about the pain in the morning than having them dead and not complaining at all."

Kakashi then teleported out of sight, leaving Neji in charge. The youth jumped up onto the stairs to the boy's dormitories, holding everyone's attention at once.

"Due to some…inconvenience, you would be spending the rest of your night here in the common room."

Groans rose from the irritated students. Neji ploughed on.

"Make yourself as comfortable as possible, lights out in fifteen minutes."

"What do you think happened?" Hermione whispered to Ron and Harry after they had grabbed a thin blanket from their rooms.

Ron shrugged.

"Mr Hatake didn't say anything. Heck, none of the guards said anything."

"Do you think it was Voldemort?" Harry asked. Hermione and Ron flinched. It was Hermione who answered.

"I don't think so. If it were his Death Eaters, it would be awfully hard to get in, there are tons of spells to protect the castle against magic, as said in _Hogwarts: A History_. It might be someone else."

"Who?" Ron asked.

"Whoever they are, is making the guards extra-cautious." Hermione said. "It would've been okay to just station the guards _outside_ the portraits wouldn't you think? But they had to guard from the inside, _and_ get everyone out to where they could see us."

"Five minutes!" Neji called. There was a last minute scramble as everyone tried to get into someplace comfortable. Harry, Ron and Hermione snuggled deeper into their armchairs, decided that they would continue their conversation at a later date.

* * *

Kakashi arrived at Dumbledore's office. He had only been there once before when he reported to Dumbledore about the Death Eaters. He cast casual glances around the room before he saw Fawkes, the phoenix, sleeping under a wing peacefully. Dumbledore was seated behind his desk, next to the red bird's perch, his expression grim. 

"I assume you didn't know there were ninjas involved?" Kakashi asked casually as he walked towards the desk, stopping in front of it, slouching comfortably. Dumbledore shook his head slowly.

"Was anyone hurt?"

"None. Gaara and I handled it."

"We should question the intruder."

"It will be quite hard to do that…" Kakashi scratch his head absently. Professor Dumbledore's eyebrow rose.

"Besides, I have questioned him in my own way. Someone had wiped his memory of anything related to his mission, beside his goal. There are traces that a Kin Jutsu – a forbidden technique – was performed. The intruder's memory will only come back when the caster of the jutsu has released it. I doubt any magic or potions would help. It is a kin jutsu for a reason." Kakashi turned serious. "Tempering with memory is a dangerous business. A wrong move may damage the brain. It may result in amnesia, senility, incapable of speech, movement, or even cause death. The user of the jutsu would be in danger as well. To wipe someone of its memory, you must first delve into the other person's mind. The user may lose himself in another's mind easily, leaving an empty shell behind. To pull this jutsu off was a task and a half on itself, but to wipe the man's memory with precision – meaning the caster had looked through the man's memory, and wiped the necessary parts at his leisure – was extremely difficult."

"How difficult?" Dumbledore asked. He was aware of the ranking system the shinobis used from his talk with Tsunade. The Professor was asking him to rate the danger level. Kakashi's gaze was steady.

"Since the intruder was a rouge nin, it is safe to say that his boss may also be a rouge. I'm guessing that we'll be dealing with a S-classed criminal." Kakashi and his team had been assigned to this mission as a high A-ranked mission. Now that this kind of thing popped up, it reminded him of the case in the Wave Country, with the bridge builder.

"However," Kakashi continued. "With the amount of money you had payed Konoha, it is sufficient for us to continue this mission."

Dumbledore smiled in relief. For the first time, Kakashi noticed his age. Oh, he had known the headmaster was quite old, from the beard, white hair, and wrinkles, but the wizard had always shown energy that belayed his age. Now however, the professor looked tired, and extremely old.

"For that, I am grateful, Kakashi."

The Copy Nin nodded. Dumbledore closed his eyes in thought.

"So now the question is this – is the shinobis working for Voldemort? Or are they working for someone else?"

* * *

" '_The Ministry of Magic has received a tip-off from a reliable source that Sirius Black, notorious mass murderer … blah blah blah … is currently hiding in London!_' " Hermione read the _Daily Prophet_ in an anguished whisper. 

"Lucius Malfoy, I'll bet anything," said Harry in a low, furious voice. "He did recognise Sirius on the platform …"

"What?" sand Ron, looking alarmed. "You didn't say –"

"Shh!" said the other two.

"… '_Ministry warns wizarding community that Black is very dangerous…killed thirteen people…broke out of Azkaban…_' the usual rubbish," Hermione concluded, laying down the paper and looking fearfully at Harry and Ron. "Well, he just won't be able to leave the house again, that's all," she whispered. "Dumbledore did warn him not to."

Harry looked down glumly at the bit of _Prophet_ he had torn off. Most of the page was devoted to an advertisement for Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, which was apparently having a sale.

"Hey!" he said, flattening it down so Hermione and Ron could see it. "Look at this!"

"I've got all the robes I want," said Ron.

"No," said Harry. "Look … this little piece here…"

Ron and Hermione bent closer to read it; the item was barely an inch long and placed right at the bottom of a column. It was headlined:

_TRESPASS AT MINISTRY_

_Sturgis Podmore, 38, of number two, Laburnum Gardens, Clapham, has appeared in front of the Wizengamot charged with trespass and attempted robbery at the Ministry of Magic on 31__st__ August. Podmore was arrested by Ministry of Magic watchwizard Eric Munch, who found him attempting to force his way through a top-security door at one o'clock in the morning. Podmore, who refused to speak in his own defence, was convicted on both charges and sentenced to six months in Azkaban._

"Sturgis Podmore?" said Ron slowly. "He's that bloke who looks like his head's been thatched, isn't he? He's one of the Ord– "

"Ron, _shh!_" said Hermione, casting a terrified look around them.

"Six months in Azkaban!" whispered Harry, shocked. "Just for trying to get through a door!"

"Don't be silly, it wasn't just for trying to get through a door. What on earth was he doing at the Ministry of Magic at one o'clock in the morning?" breathed Hermione.

"D'you reckon he was doing something for the Order?" Ron muttered.

"Wait a moment…" said Harry slowly. "Sturgis was supposed to come and see us off, remember?"

The other two looked at him.

"Yeah, he was supposed to be part of our guard going to King's Cross remember? And Moody was all annoyed because he didn't turn up; so he couldn't have been on a job for them, could he?"

"Well, maybe they didn't expect him to get caught," said Hermione.

"It could be a frame-up!" Ron exclaimed excitedly. "No – listen!" he went on, dropping his voice dramatically at the threatening look on Hermione's face. "The Ministry suspects he's one of Dumbledore's lot so – I dunno – they _lured_ him to the Ministry, and he wasn't trying to get through the door at all! Maybe they've made something up to get him!"

There was a pause when Harry and Hermione considered this. Harry's gaze dropped back down to the article, and noticed something else underneath, in a slightly smaller print and practically squashed by the other columns and words.

"Hey, there's more to it! Its font's smaller so I didn't notice it at first…"

_Eric Munch had also testified that he had saw someone accompanying Sturgis Podmore at the night of the break-in. He had no clear view of the other, but it looks to be male, in a strange style of dress in black, approximately a bit over six feet tall, and well-muscled. Before the watchwizard could get a clear view of the face, the man had disappeared. Sturgis declined any knowledge of the man, and Eric had firmly stated that he did not mistake the form in the dark, that it had definitely been a person. Wizards are now investigating and attempting to track down the described man, though authorities suspected that the man did not exist in the first place._

"There's someone else with him?" Ron said incredulously. "Without getting caught?"

"Well, it did say that they're not sure if this man was real or not. It could just be his imagination." Hermione said uncertainly.

"What's whose imagination?" A feminine voice asked from behind the trio. The three started and whipped their heads around, only to see Sakura with a curious expression on her face, hips cocked to one side, a fist resting on the raised hips.

"We were just looking at this." Hermione said, handing the kunoichi the ripped newspaper, pointing at the small block of words down at the bottom.

Sakura took the newspaper and started to read.

"What happened last night?" Harry asked, hoping to get an answer in her distracted state. "We asked but no one would tell us."

"Oh, that, don't worry your heads about it, we had it covered." Sakura replied absentmindedly. Her brows furrowed when she saw the second paragraph, the part where the three were discussing before. Something about it struck a chord in her. And with a start, she realized that if this Sturgis Podmore could get caught so easily, why hadn't this other accomplice be in prison now too? Unless…but no, it wouldn't make sense…but…

"Hey, do you guys mind I have this?" Sakura smiled cheerily at the trio who had just finished off their breakfast.

"Sure, what do you want to do with that anyway?" Ron asked.

"Oh, I'm a bit interested at this Madam Malkin's robes sale. I might go and buy something as a souvenir for when I get back home." Sakura replied smoothly as she folded the piece of paper and put it in one of her hidden pockets.

Hermione was a bit suspicious. How would Sakura know where to get the robes? And even if she does, she doubted she need to go specifically to Madam Malkin's to buy robes, after all, Hogsmede is just a few weeks away. But Ron and Harry had apparently bought the ruse.

"Now, where are you guys going?" Sakura asked as the three stood up to head for class.

"Well, I'm going to head off to do my homework." Hermione said huffily when she noticed guilty expressions on Harry and Ron. "You know, you're really going to fail your OWLs if you continued on like this." She berated and stalked off towards the common room.

Sakura raised her eyebrows at the boys.

"I guess that means you two were planning on doing something else?"

"Yeah, we have our Quidditch practice." Ron replied, looking down at Sakura.

"How are you guarding the school on weekends? It must be harder to do when there's no classes." Harry said to Sakura.

The pink haired medic nodded.

"It is harder, but not by much. Three of us will patrol in turns around the different houses – which are Kakashi, Gaara and Neji for today. One will be at the library and one outside – which are Sai and Naruto respectively, and one will be sticking with you Harry, which is me! Lucky you." Sakura grinned good-naturedly.

Harry frowned a bit.

"You know, I can take care of myself, I don't need someone following me all day." Harry said, a bit annoyed.

"I know," Sakura easily placated him, having enough experience with bruised male egos in her short lifetime. Her life was practically swimming in males. "But you can't be too careful – especially since last night." Sakura added in a mutter, but Harry and Ron heard it.

"What happened last night?" They asked, exasperated. Sakura turned to look at them, emerald eyes holding a glint of mischief.

"If you could lay even a finger on me by the time we get to this Quidditch thing of yours, I'll tell you."

Harry and Ron groaned. They knew it'd be practically impossible, but they had to try – for the sake of knowledge. All the way to the changing room the pair tried to touch Sakura, but she seemed to glide away at the last moment, leaving them nothing but air. By the time they reached their destination, they were panting hard, hands braced on legs. Sakura wasn't even mildly winded. She looked around and inspected their brooms in interest. Neither of them had even come close to touching the skilled kunoichi.

"You play on these things? Aren't they for dusting?"

"They – they do m – more than tha – that." Ron panted.

Harry and Ron had then explained what Quidditch was about as they grabbed their brooms and emerged onto the Quidditch pitch. Sakura watched as Harry and Ron practiced. She accompanied them back for lunch, and then followed them back again for their real Quidditch training with the rest of the team.

"OK, everyone," said Angelina, entering from the Captain's office, already changed. "Let's get to it; Alicia and Fred, if you can just bring out the ball crate for us. Oh, and there are a couple of people out there watching but I want you to just ignore them, all right?"

As the team went out into the Quidditch pitch, Sakura saw Naruto running towards her with his arms waving frantically.

"Sakura-chan, Sakura-chan!"

The emerald-eyed girl turned towards him.

"What?"

"Is there still lunch in the Hall? I didn't know what time it was…did I miss it?" Naruto was close to tears already, his arms holding his grumbling stomach.

"I think so, if you rush, you might still make it."

"Oh, thank god!" Naruto was relieved. He wasted no time and teleported away. When Sakura turned her attention back to the field, she noticed some Slytherin onlookers were jeering at the Gryffindor team. She noticed Ron playing worse than when he had practiced with Harry alone. When the Slytherin started chanting '_Gryffindor are losers, Gryffindor are losers_', Sakura had had enough. She stalked off, planning to come up behind them on the stands. By now, Ron was playing like an amateur and the girl named Katie had a bleeding nose so bad that she needed to be taken to the hospital wing. As the Gryffindor team trailed back into the changing rooms, Sakura was already on the stands behind Slytherin. She crept forward. The sun was in front of her, so her shadow was behind her. Her footfalls were silent, her breathing controlled. As she neared, she heard a snippet of conversation that made her see red.

"Did you see that guard standing around at the bottom?" Malfoy sneered. "Like a homeless dog following Potter everywhere."

"And her hair." Pansy Parkinson was giggling. "Pink. Who would dye their hair into that ridiculous colour? And don't even get me started about her large forehead."

The group burst into laughter, unaware of the fuming Sakura behind them. She focused on her chakra, imagining them as wires, wrapped the invisible energy around the group, and then pulled. Shrieks of surprise were heard as the Slytherins were suddenly tied together in a bunch by something invisible.

"For your information," a familiar voice said, freezing the teens. "My hair is naturally pink."

Sakura came into their view as she jumped over their heads and landed in front of them. She was cracking her knuckles.

"I've had just about enough of you lot." Sakura grinned sadistically. "I'm going to give you something to remember…"

* * *

Sakura arrived back in the guards' dorms in a very good mood. She had just accompanied Harry, Ron and Hermione back to their House after dinner. Neji looked up from a chess game with Kakashi. He raised a dark eyebrow. Sakura giggled and waved her hand, signalling that it was nothing. 

"You know," Kakashi began casually as his knight was destroying Neji's pawn, sending debris of stone and dust across the board and table. "I passed by the hospital wing on the way back here. I distinctly heard a rather large group of students groaning and complaining to Poppy-san, especially one that said 'My father will hear about this!' "

Kakashi raised his eye to the blushing Sakura.

"I wonder what happened."

Sakura giggled nervously. Neji was smirking. He had a pretty good idea what his girlfriend did. He then set his bishop on the knight that had just destroyed his pawn.

"Oh? Did the person happen to mention what had happened to them?" Neji asked Kakashi playfully.

"As a matter of fact, he did." Kakashi's eye crinkled. Another knight jumped forward to destroy Neji's bishop. "Something about a 'crazy, pink-haired girl beating them up is most undignified and totally out of line, my father will know of this' and then he moaned about a broken bone."

Sakura was scuffing the floor with the tip of her boots sheepishly. The only noises in the room were Kakashi and Neji's stifled chuckles, the crack of the firewood, and the sound of the chess pieces. Sakura pouted. Neji relented and beckoned Sakura to him, chuckling. Still pouting, Sakura shuffled towards her boyfriend and her mentor.

"It's their fault." Sakura mumbled as she sat beside Neji.

"By the way, the students are still asking questions about last night."

Kakashi sighed. He set his queen to Neji's knight.

"I know."

"I was wondering." Sakura started. "You know the Kin Jutsu you told us about that wiped the intruder's memories?"

Kakashi nodded.

"Can't the Sharingan erase memories too?"

Kakashi nodded again.

"The difference between that Jutsu and the Sharingan is that the bloodline limit's way of doing it is much safer. A non-Sharingan user, who wanted this memory wipe ability, created the Jutsu. The Sharingan put the person in a hypnotised state by staring into the eye. Then the Sharingan will erase a part of the memory, but it is general. For example, if some students here were to see something traumatizing, I can erase their memories of what they had just saw. But the Kin Jutsu took it a step further. Skilled user could pick out any memory they wished in the person and erase them, until they see fit to release the Jutsu and give the person back their memories, or leave it as it is. And since it is specific parts of memories that were wiped from last night's intruder, and Sharingan users narrowed down to three people – Sasuke, Itachi and myself – it is highly unlikely that Sasuke or Itachi had found a way into this world, and stray from their current objective."

A small poof beside Kakashi's armchair alerted the shinobis. The smoke cleared to reveal Pakkun, a little brown pug in mini Nin clothing with a Konoha headband. The pug saluted to Kakashi.

"We've got a faint scent. We've tracked Kuchino Mibu, missing-nin of the Mist. His trail came from the Forbidden Forest, but then we lost the scent."

Kakashi nodded.

"Thanks, Pakkun, you can go now."

The little pug then poofed out of existence. Sakura looked at the masked man.

"I didn't notice your nin-dogs around today."

"They're discreet about it, that's probably why it took them so long to find a whiff of the scent."

Sakura suddenly remembered something.

"Oh, yeah, Kakashi-sensei, here," Sakura took out the scrap of newspaper from the morning, showing him the small article at the bottom. "Do you think it has something to do with the Mist-nin?"

Kakashi scanned the article. When he finished, he handed it Neji to take a look.

"It does sound as if that watchwizard is describing a shinobi. We'll keep our eyes peeled on the newspapers. It seems that there are something more going on than we let on." Kakashi saw an opening on the chessboard and took it.

"Check mate."

* * *

Sakura and Neji were slipping on their gear to prepare for their turn of the night watch. Sai and Naruto will be finishing on three o'clock, which is half an hour away. The couple had learned from last time not to be asleep when it's Sai coming to wake them up. They sat on the window ledge, looking out at the full moon. Sakura curled up against Neji, his arms around her. 

"Ne, Neji?"

"Hn?"

"Do you think…we'll get Sasuke back one day?" Sakura whispered against his chest. Her feelings towards her childhood crush were long gone, but her affections towards him as a friend still remained. With Kakashi's brief mention of the Uchiha's name Sakura wondered if they could ever get their friend back.

"We will." Neji replied firmly. "As Naruto said, we'll get him back, whether he likes it or not."

Sakura smiled and snuggled further into the Hyuuga's embrace. He always knew just what to say to her. Neji kissed the top of Sakura's pink head and tightened his arms around her.

"Sakura,"

"Hm?"

"I – "

The door to their room was thrown open, admitting Naruto.

"Neji, Sakura, it's your turn to – ARGH! MY EYES!" Naruto thrown his hands over his eyes and spluttered.

Needless to say, Naruto spent the rest of the night out cold, face in an array of black and blue.

* * *

Gaara walked down the corridor towards the Great Hall. It was his turn today to watch over Harry. On the way, he heard a cackle of laughter. He lifted his head up and saw Peeves, the school's infamous prankster ghost. The ghost was rolling around in the air, cackling as he threw a water bomb at a second year boy, who was immediately drenched. As the boy hurried away, Peeves turned and saw Gaara looking up at him, head cocked to one side, as if studying him. 

"Oooooh, who's this? One of those ickle guards?" Peeves rolled around once in the air until he was looking at Gaara upside down with a sneer. "And look, this ickle guard's hair is red! Maybe a brother to the pink hair one?" Peeves giggled.

Gaara dismissed Peeves, and continued walking. Peeves scowled, miffed that the Kazekage had dismissed him so easily, flew back in front of Gaara's line of sight, took out a dungbomb from somewhere, and chucked it at the shinobi. Gaara kept on walking. Without looking away from his path, sand from his gourd emerged, caught the dungbomb and encompassed Peeves, which the bomb exploded shortly after. Peeve's disgusted muffled shouts could be heard. Peeves flew out of the sand prison, choking. Shouting curses at Gaara, the prankster flew away.

Gaara entered the hall and headed towards Harry, who currently had his head together with his friends. As he got nearer to them, snippets of conversation were heard.

"Umbridge – 'High Inquisitor'?" Harry said darkly, his half-eaten piece of toast slipped from his fingers. "What does _that_ mean?"

Hermione read aloud:

_"In a surprise move last night the Ministry of Magic passed new legislation giving itself an unprecedented level of control at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry._

_" 'The Minister has been growing uneasy about the goings-on at Hogwarts for some time,' said Junior Assistant to the Minister, Percy Weasley. 'He is now responding to concerns voiced by anxious parents, who feel the school may be moving in a direction they do not approve of.'_

_"This is not the first time in recent weeks that the Minister, Cornelius Fudge, has used new laws to effect improvements at the wizarding school. As recently as 30th August, Educational Decree Number Twenty-two was passed, to ensure that, in the event of the current Headmaster being unable to provide a candidate for a teaching post, the Ministry should select an appropriate person._

_" 'That's how Dolores Umbridge came to be appointed to the teaching staff at Hogwarts,' said Weasley last night. 'Dumbledore couldn't find anyone so the Minister put in Umbridge, and of course, she's been an immediate success – ' "_

"She's been a WHAT?" said Harry loudly. Gaara was standing behind them now, peering over their heads to scan the rest of the article. They trio didn't notice.

"What, there's more," said Hermione grimly.

_" ' – an immediate success, totally revolutionising the teaching of Defence Against the Dark Arts and providing the Minister with on-the-ground feedback about what's really happening at Hogwarts.'_

_'It is this last function that the Ministry has now formalised with the passing of Educational Decree Number Twenty-three, which creates the new position of Hogwarts High Inquisitor._

_" 'This is an exciting new phase in the Minister's plan to get to grips with what some are calling the falling standards at Hogwarts,' said Weasley. 'The Inquisitor will have powers to inspect her fellow educators and make sure that they are coming up to scratch. Professor Umbridge has been offered this position in addition to her own teaching post and we are delighted to say that she has accepted.'_

_"The Ministry's new moves have received enthusiastic support from parents of students at Hogwarts._

_" 'I feel much easier in my mind now that I know Dumbledore is being subjected to fair and objective evaluation,' said Mr Lucius Malfoy, 41, speaking from his Wiltshire mansion last night. 'Many of us with our children's best interests at heart have been concerned about some of Dumbledore's eccentric decisions in the last few years and are glad to know that the Ministry is keeping an eye on the situation.'_

_"Among those eccentric decisions are undoubtedly the controversial staff appointments previously described in this newspaper, which have included the employment of werewolf Remus Lupin, half-giant Rubeus Hagrid and delusional ex-Auror, 'Mad-Eye' Moody. This year, Albus Dumbledore had also hired some dubious guards of unknown origin. Some say that he is delusional, and most parents disapprove of leaving the lives of their children under the care of these dubious guards._

_"Rumours abound, of course, that Albus Dumbledore, once Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards and Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, is no longer up to the task of managing the prestigious school of Hogwarts._

_" 'I think the appointment of the Inquisitor is a first step towards ensuring that Hogwarts has a headmaster in whom we can all repose our confidence.' Said a Ministry insider last night._

_"Wizengamot elders Griselda Marchbanks and Tiberius Ogden have resigned in protest at the introduction of the post of Inquisitor to Hogwarts._

_" 'Hogwarts is a school, not an outpost of Cornelius Fudge's office,' said Madam Marchbanks. 'This is a further, disgusting attempt to discredit Albus Dumbledore.'"_

Hermione finished reading and looked at the other two. Then noticed Gaara from the corner of her eye and jumped. Harry and Ron turned at her start and jumped themselves when they saw the sand nin.

"Ah, Gaara! Uh, hi…" Harry said nervously.

Gaara inclined his head and gestured towards the paper.

"Do you mind if I take the paper to Kakashi-san? This might interest him."

"Sure." Hermione handed him the whole package of _Daily Prophet_, having finished with it anyway.

Gaara followed Harry, Ron and Hermione into History of Magic and Potions like a shadow. His face passive, stance slightly intimidating with his arms constantly crossed, with an air of indifference. By lunchtime, Harry was feeling slightly uncomfortable. He hadn't had Gaara as a guard before, since the day when it was originally Gaara's turn was foiled by the intrusion, making the Kazekage busy. Harry thought he'd rather have the other guards. Naruto was fun and very friendly. Sakura was nice, Neji was polite, Sai was at least trying to be sociable and Kakashi was reassuring with his own sense of humour. Gaara was…well…Gaara, for the lack of words.

After lunch, Gaara accompanied Harry and Ron to the Northern Tower where Divination was held while Hermione went off to Arithmancy. As they neared the trap door, Gaara was assaulted with the scent of heavy perfume. His lips turned down slightly but continued up the stairs and into the room.

As Harry and Ron settled down near the back of the room, Gaara stood guard by the trapdoor – more fresh air that way. A few moments later, Professor Umbridge emerged from the trapdoor. The once talkative class fell silence at once. Gaara eyed the toad-like woman from the corner of his black-rimmed eyes as Professor Trelawney turned around. Professor Umbridge's lips thinned when she caught sight of Gaara, but forced her eyes away from the eerie youth to focus her attentions on the divination teacher.

"Good afternoon, Professor Trelawney," said Professor Umbridge with her wide smile. "You received my note, I trust? Giving the time and date of your inspection?"

Professor Trelawney nodded curtly and, looking very disgruntled, turned her back on Professor Umbridge and continued to give out books. Still smiling, Professor Umbridge grasped the back of the nearest armchair and pulled it to the front of the class so that it was a few inches behind Professor Trelawney's seat. She then sat down, took her clipboard from her flowery bag and looked up expectantly, waiting for the class to begin.

Gaara noticed that the Divination Professor had pulled her shawls tight about her with slightly trembling hands and surveyed the class through her hugely magnifying lenses.

"We shall be continuing our study of prophetic dreams today," she said in a voice that shook slightly. "Divide into pairs, please, and interpret each other's latest night-time visions with the aid of the _Oracle_."

She made as though to sweep back to her seat, saw Professor Umbridge sitting right beside it, and immediately veered left towards a pair of girls who were deep in discussion about their most recent dreams. Gaara rolled his eyes discreetly. This subject, in his opinion, was an absolute waste of time. Now he understood why Sai had disapproved of it when he had experienced this class. Professor Umbridge was now questioning Professor Trelawney. Gaara listened to their conversation absently.

"These things often skip – er – three generations," Professor Trelawney was saying.

"Of course," Umbridge said sweetly as she smiled widely. She made a note on her clipboard. "Well, if you could just predict something for me, then?" And she looked up enquiringly, still smiling.

Professor Trelawney stiffened.

"I don't understand you," she said, clutching convulsively at the shawl around her scrawny neck.

"I'd like you to make a prediction for me," said Professor Umbridge clearly.

The class was now looking at the Professors discreetly behind their books. Gaara watched from the corner of his eye, his attention sharpened.

Professor Trelawney drew herself up to her full height, her beads and bangles clinking.

"The Inner Eye does not See upon command!" she said in scandalised tones.

"I see," said Professor Umbridge softly, making yet another note.

"I – but – but…_wait_!" said Professor Trelawney suddenly, shaking with anger. "I…I think I _do_ see something…something that concerns _you_…why, I sense something…something _dark_…some grave peril…"

Professor Trelawney pointed a shaking finger at Professor Umbridge who continued to smile blandly at her, eyebrows raised.

"I am afraid…I am afraid that you are in grave danger!" Professor Trelawney finished dramatically.

There was a pause. Professor Umbridge surveyed Professor Trelawney.

"Right," she said softly, scribbling on her clipboard once more. "Well, if that's really the best you can do…"

Gaara closed his eyes in annoyance. He'll meditate for the rest of the lesson. But that thought was soon shot down when he smelled Umbridge's sickly perfume headed towards him. He felt her stopping in front of him and cleared her throat ('_hem hem_'). When Gaara didn't respond, Umbridge cleared her throat again.

"What do you want?" Gaara asked albeit rudely without opening his eyes.

Umbridge stared at the black of his closed eyes and scowled. It disappeared a second later though. Clearing her throat again, her girlish voice said up to him.

"It is rather rude not to look at the person you are talking to."

"It is of no concern of mine since I have no interest in the conversation."

"Well, then," Umbridge huffed. Really, these guards are all the same. She scribbled on her clipboard. "Would you mind me asking a few questions?"

"I would." Gaara said, finally opening his eyes. His flat coloured jade eyes bored down at Professor Umbridge. The woman trembled a bit, before coughing a bit ('_hem hem_') and continued.

"Well, first off, where are you from?"

"I cannot disclose that information."

"Why not?"

Gaara stared at Umbridge, an invisible eyebrow arched, as if asking if she was really that idiotic. Gaara did not grace that question with an answer. Umbridge bristled, but went on to her next question.

"Where did Albus Dumbledore hire you?"

"That is the same as the first question."

"How old are you and your colleagues?"

"What relevance is that?"

"Do you use magic? If not, what sorts of abilities do you have? I've seen Mr Hatake perform…some…some sort of magic that I have never seen before."

"I cannot disclose that information."

Umbridge was getting frustrated, and it showed. The class' attention was once again resting on Umbridge and was listening the exchange, hoping to know more about these mysterious guards as well.

"Are you going to answer anything?" Umbridge finally said.

"No." Gaara replied. His eyes narrowed. "Why are you so persistent in finding out when it is none of your concern?"

"I am appointed to High Inquisitor! I am obligated to check on the staff of this school! You are the current guards, so that makes you one of the staffs."

Gaara closed his eyes again, seemingly dismissing her.

"Whatever position you are in is of no consequence of ours. We are only guards temporarily. Our personal affairs are none of anyone's concerns except for our employer, Albus Dumbledore."

"Well, I'll ask the Headmaster later then." Umbridge smiled triumphantly. Gaara's eyes opened into slits, glaring icily down at the toad woman.

"The Headmaster is obligated to keep our information confidential. If he discloses the information, the contract is broken." Gaara's eyes gleamed of something malicious for a moment. "And if the contract is broken, then that is a very grave matter indeed."

* * *

XD Review please! 


	9. Some Moments and the Attack

**Disclaimer:** Same

**Author's Note:** Not very happy with this chapter, but here it is anyway! XD The fighting scene was too short for my taste. I'll try and do a longer one the next time there's a fight. As usual, suggestions are welcome, and reviews and greatly appreciated. I love all my reviewers!! X3 Here's Chapter 9, enjoy!

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* * *

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Chapter 9 – Some Moments and the Attack 

After Divination, it was time for Defence Against the Dark Arts. Umbridge was waiting in the classroom, brooding over Gaara's enigmatic responses. She immediately pasted on her sickly sweet smile and welcomed her class in. The red haired shinobi was the last to enter. He shut the door behind him and stood guard beside it.

As the lesson progresses, Gaara noticed that the situation between Harry and Umbridge was turning sour. Harry's indignant posture said it all.

"Oh, you do, do you?" said Professor Umbridge, straightening up from Hermione's desk. "Well, I'm afraid it is Mr Slinkhard's opinion, and not yours, that matters within this classroom, Miss Granger."

"But – " Hermione began.

"That is enough," said Professor Umbridge. She walked back to the front of the class and stood before them, all the jauntiness she had shown at the beginning of the lesson gone. "Miss Granger, I am going to take five points from Gryffindor house."

There was an outbreak of muttering at this.

"What for?" said Harry angrily.

There was a hiss of sand, and Harry heard Gaara's voice whispering to him

"_Do not get involved_."

Harry glanced around, but no one noticed. Gaara was still standing guard beside the door as though nothing had happened.

"For disrupting my class with pointless interruptions," said Professor Umbridge smoothly. "I am here to teach you using a Ministry-approved method that does not include inviting students to give their opinions on matters about which they understand very little. Your previous teachers in this subject may have allowed you more licence, but as none of them – with the possible exception of Professor Quirrell, who did at least appear to have restricted himself to age-appropriate subjects – would have passed a Ministry inspection – "

"Yeah, Quirrell was a great teacher, said Harry loudly, "there was just that minor drawback on him having Lor – "

"_Harry, silence_." Gaara's voice hissed to him again through his sands. "_Do you wish to have your hand cut open again and to have the students ridicule you regardless of the truth?_"

Harry snapped his mouth shut immediately, his face red.

There was a silence. Umbridge grinned widely, showing her pointed teeth.

"Yes, Potter?"

"Nothing." Harry muttered, calming himself. "I'm….sorry."

The grin on Umbridge's face grew impossibly wide.

"You should be. Disrupting the lesson. But since you apologized, we shall continue."

* * *

After the lesson, Gaara escorted the trio out of the classroom. Harry was glaring at the ground. 

"Have you calmed yourself yet?" Gaara asked the sullen teen.

"Yeah…" Harry took a deep breath before saying. "Thanks Gaara. If you hadn't stopped me I might've gotten another week of detention, then Angelina would've gotten onto my case."

"What? Gaara stopped you?" Ron turned a startled gaze on Harry. "How?"

"All we saw is you talking back to Umbridge and then you stopped suddenly." Hermione said.

Harry looked at the stoic guard.

"I used my sand." Gaara explained simply. "I communicated him through it."

Seeing his hard expression, Harry, Ron and Hermione let the matter drop, knowing they wouldn't be able to get anything out of him about how he did it.

The week past by in a blur without any interesting things happening, until their Transfiguration class that is. Naruto was accompanying them that day. After Charms, he had followed the trio to Professor McGonagall's class while bickering with Ron. The minute they stepped foot into the classroom, they saw Professor Umbridge sitting in a corner with her clipboard.

"Excellent," whispered Ron, as they sat down in their usual seats, "Let's see Umbridge get what she deserves."

Naruto was snickering in anticipation as he stood beside the door, having known McGonagall's strict personality, and he hated the frog woman anyway.

Professor McGonagall marched into the room without giving the slightest indication that she knew Professor Umbridge was there.

"That will do," she said and silence fell immediately. "Mr Finnigan, kindly come here and hand back the homework – Miss Brown, please take this box of mice – don't be silly, girl, they won't hurt you – and hand one to each student – Mr Uzumaki, please be silent over there – "

"_Hem, hem_," said Professor Umbridge, employing the same silly little cough she had used to interrupt Dumbledore on the first night of term. Professor McGonagall ignored her. Naruto had stopped his snickering at McGonagall's request, but had this insanely huge grin on his face.

"Right then, everyone, listen closely – Dean Thomas, if you do that to the mouse again I shall put you in detention – most of you have now successfully Vanished your snails and even those who were left with a certain amount of shell have got the gist of the spell. Today, we shall be – "

"_Hem, hem_," said Professor Umbridge.

"_Yes?_" said Professor McGonagall, turning round; her eyebrows so close together they seemed to form one long, sever line.

"I was just wondering, Professor, whether you received my note telling you of the date and time of your inspec– "

"Obviously I received it, or I would have asked you what you are doing in my classroom," said Professor McGonagall, turning her back firmly on Professor Umbridge. Many of the students exchanged looks of glee. Naruto stuffed his fist inside his mouth to keep himself from laughing in the shadows. "As I was saying: today, we shall be practising the altogether more difficult Vanishment of mice. Now, the Vanishing Spell – "

"_Hem, hem_."

"I wonder," said Professor McGonagall in cold fury, turning on Professor Umbridge, "how you expect to gain an idea of my usual teaching methods if you continue to interrupt me? You see, I do not generally permit people to talk when I am talking."

Professor Umbridge looked as though she had just been slapped in the face. She did not speak, but straightened the parchment on her clipboard and began scribbling furiously.

Looking supremely unconcerned, Professor McGonagall addressed the class once more.

"As I was saying: the Vanishing Spell becomes more difficult…"

* * *

Naruto was laughing his head off when they walked out of Transfiguration. They were now on their way to Care of Magical Creatures class. Naruto finally calmed down enough so that he could walk properly. 

"It's so good to see that _gama_ being put in her place by Professor McGonagall." Naruto said with a satisfied sigh.

"Gama?" Ron asked.

"Toad." Naruto replied, grinning foxily. He spotted a familiar figure standing with Professor Grubbly-Plank. His grin slid off his face like sap.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked.

Naruto was pouting, that much was obvious.

"The toad is here again. Didn't you tell me that you usually have this Hagrid person for this class? Maybe she wanted to find out where he's been." Naruto said. He perked up when he saw who's at the field with the Professors. "Sakura-chan!"

He raced off, leaving the trio to walk at their leisure as he jumped with his usual hyper-ness towards the pink haired medic. Sakura scowled.

"_Naruto, you're suppose to be with Harry_!" Sakura admonished Naruto in their language, not wanting Umbridge to hear what they're saying. Drinking the language potion does not mean they couldn't communicate in their former language, as the shinobis had found out they day after they drank the potion.

"_Ma, they're just behind me, see?_" Naruto pouted. "_And now they're here! See? Nothing happened._"

"_But something _could_ happen you idiot._" Sakura glared.

"_Hem, hem._"

The shinobis twitched as they recognized the annoying and trademark cough. They turned to face Umbridge.

"Yes?" Sakura asked.

"Please speak in English." Professor Umbridge stated pompously.

"Why?" Naruto narrowed his blue eyes.

"So everyone can understand. Speaking in another language is rude." Umbridge smiled. "It excludes people, and makes you seem unsociable."

"Oh, in that case," Naruto turned back to Sakura, his grin in place again. "_We are unsociable, aren't we?_"

Sakura smirked back.

"_Yeah, who wouldn't want to be when you're talking with the toad?_"

The two laughed. Umbridge bristled. The class was discreetly looking at the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher and the two guards, paying half an ear to what Professor Grubbly-Plank was saying.

"_Hem, hem_."

The Konoha shinobis ignored her, and chose to amble to their right where the class was taking place, chatting in a language Umbridge didn't understand and brushed past her.

"_Ne, Sakura-chan, the toad looks like it's gonna blow._" Naruto said, snickering.

Sakura nodded solemnly.

"_Yeah, poor thing._" She giggled.

Naruto suddenly thought of something as they watched the class studying the Bowtruckles.

"_Oh, yeah, did you get any action last night?_" Naruto nudged her while grinning lecherously.

"_Get what action?_" Sakura frowned. "_Was there another break-in?_"

"_No, no._" Naruto sniggered. "_You and Neji were on the first watch until eleven weren't you?_"

"_Yeah…_" Sakura looked at Naruto in confusion, not getting his meaning.

"_Then after, did you get any action?_" Naruto was still grinning. "_I thought I heard a thump and some sounds coming from your room when it's my turn for night watch._"

"_Get any ­­– NARUTO!_" Sakura whacked the back of his head so hard that his face slammed into the soft ground from the impact, blushing furiously. "_Don't be such a pervert!_ _Neji's back was tense so I gave him a massage!_"

"_What kind_?" Naruto asked, lecherous grin still in place, his face raised from the ground. His only answer was a foot coming down on his head, planting his face back into the dirt.

* * *

Naruto walked with Harry to Umbridge's office. During Care of Magical Creatures' lesson, somehow, Harry had landed himself in another detention (Naruto didn't know when, he was too preoccupied with spitting dirt and grass out of his mouth). 

"Ahhh, Harry-kun, why did you get another detention?"

"It's nothing." Harry replied glumly, not looking forward to another night of splitting his hand open.

"I'll do it with you if you like, Neji did it." Naruto said.

Harry shook his head furiously.

"No! Don't get involved because of me! You don't have to!"

Naruto was now nodding to himself.

"Yup, I'll do it with you. Hah! I bet Neji came with you just so he could be mothered by Sakura by the end of the day."

"But I thought Sakura was always hitting him for it?" Harry said.

"Nah, that's just on the surface. Later, Sakura would pamper him a little." Naruto laughed. "Ha, ha! Neji looked so content when Sakura was fluttering over him. I've never seen his face like that."

Harry grinned as he imagined the stoic but polite Hyuuga, sitting in a squishy armchair with fluffy pillows placed around him, and Sakura mothering him, getting what he wanted. Then he realized the conversation was getting off-track.

"Still, you can't do the detention with me." Harry said.

"No, I'll do it with you. It will be a part of my training!" Naruto suddenly shouted.

"Huh?" Harry started.

"I'll bear the pain the silence! Training my resilience to such things!" Naruto stopped, then paled. "Oh god, I sounded like Lee."

"Lee?"

"A guy you'll be lucky not to have met."

Naruto pushed open the door to Professor Umbridge's office. Harry didn't even notice that they've arrived.

"Anyway, c'mon, I won't leave a friend to suffer alone."

It was nearly midnight when Harry and Naruto left Umbridge's office that night. Harry's hand was bleeding so severely that it was staining the scarf he had wrapped around it. Naruto was looking furious and ranted on about the 'crazy, sadistic, toady old hag' while clamping a hand around Harry's scarf encased hand, staunching the flow of blood. Harry glanced at Naruto's hand, and just like any other time he saw it, there's no trace of it having being cut open. Umbridge hadn't noticed anything, having had no inclination in looking at Naruto's hand, but was positively quivering with glee when she saw the state of Harry's hand.

"Naruto?"

The blonde paused in his ranting and turned his concerned blue eyes towards the teen that was only a year younger than him.

"Yeah? Is your hand still hurting? In just a few minutes we'll get to Sakura."

"Uh…I'm alright…but…how come you're alright? I mean, not that that's a bad thing, it's great, but," Harry faltered. "Your hand seemed to be healed…"

Naruto glanced down and gave a sigh.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I…uh…heal very fast. It's just one of my tricks I guess." Naruto grinned falsely. Harry decided to drop the subject, seeing the look that flashed across the taller youth's face.

"Ah, we're here." Naruto said. The knight in the painting was cleaning his sword. At the sight of the two, he straightened.

"Password?"

"Lemon drops." Naruto said. "By the way, what's your name?"

The knight huffed.

"Only now you asked? I am Sir Lancelot!" The portrait then swung open.

"Thanks Landslot!" Naruto said loudly and cheerily as he ushered Harry in ahead of them.

"It is Lancelot, peasant! Lancelot!" The portrait yelled after them in indignation as the opening closed.

Harry looked around the room. Kakashi and Neji was nowhere in sight, no doubt patrolling the grounds. Sai was in a game of chess with Gaara in front of the fireplace while Sakura was engrossed in a thick volume next to them. Her head snapped up as Naruto and Harry entered. Her eyes found the bloodstained scarf around Harry's hand. She flew out of the armchair.

"Oh my god, Harry! That toad woman did this to you?" She asked in concern as she appeared in front of him in a flash, and was now gingerly unwounding the scarf from his hand. The cut on his hand had stopped flowing, but it still hurts. Green light surrounded Sakura's hand as she healed the cut, muttering curses at Umbridge that would make a sailor blush as she did so.

"We've told Professor McGonagall about this but…"

"What? You've told her?" Harry asked in alarm.

Sakura nodded.

"We have. We've told her the week of your first detention with Umbridge. She was furious. She wasn't able to do anything about it though. Kakashi-sensei had to calm her down enough so she wouldn't charge into the toad woman's office and shriek at her." Sakura finished the healing. "There, all done."

Harry looked at his hand and mumbled his thanks.

"Let's get you back to the Gryffindor Tower." Naruto said as he jumped towards the portrait hole. Harry followed.

* * *

It was the first weekend of October. Naruto was strolling around on the grounds in boredom with Gaara. In two weeks, their's been no activity, and the shinobis days are a routine now. Eat breakfast in the common room, guard the school and follow Harry, eat lunch in Great Hall, guarding again, eat dinner, night watch, and then sleep, only to start all over again the next day. Today half the school was empty, being the Hogsmeade weekend. Naruto pouted. He wanted to go. He'd heard so much stuff about the village that he was just itching to go into Zonko's Wizarding Jokeshop. Kakashi had assigned Gaara and Naruto to stay back to guard the remaining wizards in the castle. Gaara doesn't care, but Naruto had whined about it to Kakashi for several minutes. The jounin didn't relent, and left with the rest of the shinobis and the students to Hogsmeade. 

The two friends were now walking back from the lake. Naruto was still pouting, kicking a stray pebble ahead of him at each step. Gaara rolled his eyes discreetly at the childish display. This was a Kyuubi container, and one of the most powerful shinobis in Konoha?

"Hey, Gaara."

"Hn."

"What do you think of Harry teaching DADA?"

Sakura was accompanying the golden trio to the library last week, and heard their plan about letting Harry teach the subject separately. In Hogsmeade, in a bar called Hog's Head is where Harry and his friends would be right now.

"Dangerous. But I approve." Gaara said.

"Dangerous? Why?"

"Professor Umbridge would be displeased."

Whatever Naruto was going to say next was cut off by a scream.

* * *

Neji sighed beside the trio in Hog's Head as a large group of people came in. He had warned Hermione that a quiet place would more likely be overheard than in a crowded place, such as The Three Broomstick. She didn't listen. For a smart girl, she's dense and stubborn and insisted that the Hog's Head was better. Besides, Hermione had said. Even if someone _did_ overhear, who're they going to tell it to? The Three Broomstick was crowded with students and teachers, even. This place will be safer. Neji rolled his pale eyes. Overconfidence was unbecoming of that girl. But she's so used to succeeding in grades and spells, that she was loosing focus of what should be obvious. The two boys didn't help either. They had been unsure about going into the nearly deserted bar when Neji had raised his point, but when Hermione retaliated, they had gone along. 

'Civilians,' Neji thought in disgust. 'They're all the same the world over.'

Meanwhile, Harry was aghast at the amount of people that had shown up. First came Neville with Dean and Lavender, who were closely followed by Parvati and Padma Patil with Cho and one of her usually-giggling girlfriends, then Luna Lovegood, then Katie Bell, Alicia Spinnet and Angelina Johnson, Colin and Dennis Creevey, Ernie Macmillan, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Hannah Abbott, a Hufflepuff girl with a long plait down her back whose name Harry did not know; three Ravenclaw boys he was pretty sure were called Anthony Goldstein, Michael Corner and Terry Boot, Ginny, closely followed by a tall skinny blond boy with an upturned nose whom Harry recognised, vaguely as being a member of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team and, bringing up the rear, Fred and George Weasley with their friend Lee Jordan.

Neji's eyes were wide. How foolish can these children be? He thought crossly, conveniently forgetting that he was only two years older than them. If this large amount of people had arrived in The Three Broomsticks, sure people would be suspicious, but it's normally a crowded place, so people would less likely to spare another thought about it. At Hog's Head, however, it virtually had no customer! If the few people that were in the bar had talked about the odd occurrence of dozens of people arriving at the same time, Umbridge might easily had gotten wind of this. Not that the shinobi thought she could do anything about it, but they had a bad feeling, and wanted to keep this meeting as quiet as possible. Obviously, that's not going happen. He saw Harry turned to hiss at Hermione.

"A couple of people? _A couple of people?_"

"Yes, well, the idea seemed quite popular," said Hermione happily. "Ron, do you want to pull up some more chairs?" She saw the irritated glare that was sent her way from Neji.

"Oh, relax would you? Nothing's going to happen."

"I beg to differ." Neji said in a barely controlled tone, his irritation apparent. "I only relented in you having this meeting here because you said it was only 'a couple of people'. As Harry had obviously seen, your mathematics and possibly your language needs work." Neji turned to her fully, his formally crossed arms now beside him.

"How do you expect this large amount of people in a almost empty bar at once would go unnoticed?"

Hermione's eyebrows snapped down. She opened her mouth about to retort when Harry cut in, also irritated and on the verge of being furious.

"What have you been telling people?" he said in a low voice. "What are they expecting?"

"I've told you, they just want to hear what you've got to say," said Hermione soothingly, her argument with Neji temporarily forgotten. "You don't have to do anything yet, I'll speak to them first."

"Hi, Harry," said Neville, beaming and taking a seat opposite of the bespectacled youth. Neji watched the proceedings with his Byakugan activated. He noticed some people had edged away from him (and his eyes) as time passed, but shrugged it off. He rolled his eyes at the reaction the majority of the people in front of him gave when Hermione mentioned Lord Voldemort's name. Weak. Neji decided. Very weak, to get terrified by name alone, no matter how powerful the enemy is, there is no reason to freak when hearing the name.

There's a sudden transmission from his headphone.

"We've got trouble." Gaara's grave monotone voice said.

* * *

The scream came from the direction of the lake, where Naruto and Gaara had just patrolled before. They raced back. As they rounded a corner and into the view of the lake, they saw what was going on. A Gryffindor second year girl was clawing at the bank, a hand grasped firmly by her two friends. Water tendrils gripped her legs, dragging her down towards the water. Naruto dashed forward to help. He had managed to pull the girl free in one burst of strength, and the water tendrils retreated. 

"What the hell was that?" Naruto exclaimed. The lake water rippled, a bulge appeared in the middle of the lake, and was growing bigger.

"Naruto." Gaara said. He concentrated in gathering the sand from the ground. It's not the desert, so there won't be as much sand in his command, but there is more than enough to get by. Naruto nodded.

"_Kage Bushin no Justu!_" Dozens of Naruto clones appeared in a cloud of smoke. One of the clones hurried the shocked girls up onto their feet and herded them to the castle. The rest of the clones dispersed, finding other students to take them back into safety.

The bulge is forming a shape now. A water dragon was now staring at the two shinobis. Rustling came from the trees on the other side of the lake. A number of shinobis emerged, weapons at the ready. Naruto tensed. He heard Gaara speaking through the headphones.

"We've got trouble." Gaara said. Naruto took this opportunity to better acquaint himself with the enemy.

"Oi, bastards! What the hell do you want?"

The enemy did not reply vocally, and chose to attack instead.

* * *

Neji's suddenly tensed stance alerted the group of wizards. 

"Is something wrong?" Fred asked.

Neji shook his head, not answering the question, but he was now talking very fast into his communicator in his own language.

"_Kakashi-san, what shall we do?_"

"_Neji, you stay with Harry and be on the lookout for anymore trouble with your eyes. Sai?_"

"_Hai?_"

"_You keep patrolling Hogsmeade, I doubt the intruders will come here, but just in case. Let no one, including the teachers, leave the village and back to the castle. Use your ink to cover more grounds. Sakura?_"

"_Here._"

"_We're going back to the castle to assist Naruto and Gaara. I'll contact Neji and Sai when it's safe to go back to Hogwarts. All clear?_"

"_Hai._"

"_Good, let's go Sakura_."

Neji looked at the group who was staring at him nervously.

"What's happening?" Harry asked suspiciously.

"Nothing." Neji smiled reassuringly. "Just receiving some news, that's all."

"What kind of news?" Hermione asked.

Neji shrugged.

"Just a report."

* * *

Naruto was flung back from the lake and onto the bank hard. The force of it making deep furrows into the soil as the blonde skidded into a halt. Gaara had just disposed three of the Nins in his Desert Coffin and was now defending as a barrage of weapons and attacks were attempting to cut through his sand shield. There are ten missing-nins from Mist and Rock, Naruto and Gaara had found out. All of them around Chuunin level. It won't be hard for Naruto and Gaara if it was just a few of them, but the odds are weighing against them. There are six left, including one heavily wounded, but still fighting. Naruto was only able to dispose of one. He jumped back up and threw a kunai to his right, hitting a Mist Nin. It turned into water. 

"Dammit! When is Kakashi-sensei and Sakura-chan gonna come?" Naruto exclaimed frustratingly.

"We're here." Sakura zoomed passed Naruto. She hit the ground with chakra-enhanced fist, making dirt pillars rising from the ground. One of the pillars hit a stunned shinobi; Sakura then used this chance and killed him with an explode-tag attached to a kunai. Noises were heard from the castle. Kakashi spared a quick glance at the windows as he slit a throat open, and saw horrified students staring out of the windows. He saw teachers trying to usher the students away from the window, but they themselves are not moving from their spot beside the windows. Tsk, nothing he could do about it. They'll just have to get traumatized.

The remaining four shinobis were now gradually retreating. Kakashi's eye snapped back to his opponents.

"_Naruto, Gaara, Sakura, don't let them get away._"

Before the Leaf Nins could move, Gaara had summoned a wave of sand and had cut off the enemy's escape route. Before they could teleport away, the sand wrapped itself around them, separating one of the shinobi, leaving the other three in a group. More sand had come until the three Nins are encased in a sand ball. Gaara disposed of them the same way he did to the Mist intruder. He tightened his fist and spoke in a murmur.

"_Sabaku Sousou._"

To the occupants inside the castle, looking at the events happening outside, it seemed as if the sand ball had merely tightened. A few of the older wizards knew better. The sand had tightened because the sand had compressed, crushing the enemies. Naruto ran across the lake to reach the man. Just as he neared the missing-Nin, an explosion had knocked him off his feet, causing him to skid across the water. The sand returned to the ground, revealing scorched grass and a few specks of blood.

"Suicide explode-tags." Kakashi said. "They were used for so long I didn't expect him to have it."

"How do they work?" Sakura asked as Naruto hurried back.

"The holder infuses his chakra in a tag. The tag will be kept somewhere on the user's body, and when the users wills it, the tag will explode, him along with it. It's commonly used when the enemy number is great, therefore, when the user exploded, those around him would be caught in it also. But this is a small explosion, therefore nothing to worry about."

Gaara was stowing his sand (the ones he originally had) back into his gourd when Professor McGonagall hurried up, her face pale. Before she could speak, Kakashi turned to her.

"It is all taken care of. But perhaps next time, you could turn away the students, they don't look to good." He pointed a thumb at the castle, where numerous faces are looking green, and most had disappeared, probably retching somewhere.

"Do you know who's behind these attacks?" McGonagall asked, lips slightly trembling as she eyed the corpses and blood that had stained the banks of the Black Lake.

"No, we only know the minions are missing Nins. The enemy had suicide explode-tags on them. A pity, we could've questioned them." Kakashi looked to the direction of Hogsmeade. "Please ensure that the students are kept inside the castle for the next day or two. I shall summon the rest of the students from the village."

The Transfiguration teacher nodded, and strode back to the castle, already barking orders at the few students that had ventured out to get back in.

"I've just told Sai and Neji to come back with the other students." Sakura said. Kakashi nodded.

"While they're getting back, let's check the grounds for any more threats. Split up and each take a side. I'll take the Northern part of the grounds."

The shinobis soon head off, moving in a blur to get to their assigned area.

* * *

Neji sighed as his hand dropped from his ear. Earlier, he had stopped the group from going out when the meeting had finished, saying that they would go back to Hogwarts. Neji was now standing guard at the door, with dozens of eyes glaring holes into him. 

"What the bloody hell is going on here?" George exclaimed.

"Why're you keeping us here?" Fred said.

Neji sighed and massaged his temples. He wished Sakura here, she could do amazing massages, and he desperately needed one.

"The castle was attacked a while ago." At the chorused intake of breath, Neji ploughed on, not allowing them to speak. "I knew that if I said my reasons, you would immediately want to go and help. Let me say this now. You will only hinder us." Neji's glare made the group shivered. "I don't care how old you are, how capable you are with your wands, but you are no match for us. It was shinobis that attacked. Before you could even _blink_, you'd be dead with a blade in-between your eyes. You can go now, but wait at the entrance of the village. Sai is there. After I round up the rest of the students, we will go back."

Neji opened the tavern door.

"Now move it."

As the group jogged towards the distant silhouette figure of Sai, Ron muttered to Harry and Hermione.

"Cripes, who would attack Hogwarts?"

"Do you think it's Voldemort?" Harry asked. Ron tripped.

"Not sure. Neji did say the ones who attacked were ninjas, like him." Hermione said. They arrived where Sai is. A few minutes later, the students have been gathered, along with Professor Flitwick and Hagrid who was in The Three Broomsticks. The group set off back towards Hogwarts – Neji taking up the rear while Sai lead in the front. The wizards were nervous. They bunched up together; chatting in low voice while eyes darted everywhere around them. Neji rolled his eyes. Please. He could spot danger a mile away before any of these dimwits do.

When they arrived at the castle, Sai continued to lead them up the stone steps and into the castle while Neji reported to Kakashi, who had arrived the minute they stepped foot into school grounds.

"Any trouble?" Kakashi asked.

Neji shook his head negative.

"What do we do now?" Neji asked.

"For now, we search the grounds, and we'll do a brief scan a few miles into the Forbidden Forest. Meet back into the rooms in two hour's time."

Neji nodded. This mission is getting into more trouble than it's worth. The Hyuuga suddenly had the urge to say a favourite phrase used by a certain Nara.

* * *

Review XD 


	10. Enter Shikamaru!

**Author's Note:** Sorry for the belayed update! Yes, the story is still going, I just came up on a wall called 'writer's block'. My updates will be slower than ever, unfortunately, but the story is continuing. Thanks for the tremendous amount of reviews, it kept me going! Enjoy the chapter!

* * *

**Chapter 10 – Enter Shikamaru!**

Tsunade read the report sent by an owl from Kakashi. Her brows furrowed in thought, her free hand absentmindedly petting the barn owl. Cute things. Maybe she should get one. She sighed and put down the report, having finished it. She had a bad feeling about this. Just before the owl came, Tsunade had received another report from a frog sent by Jiraiya. The toad hermit reported that Orochimaru had seemingly disappeared, along with dozens of his cronies. He couldn't find any traces of him and had no leads on him.

Tsunade took a drink from her sake bottle, thinking. Could it be that Orochimaru had joined forces with that Voldemort character? But what for? Slamming down the bottle, the Hokage huffed. The owl swivelled his head and looked at the blonde balefully, ruffling his feathers in irritation and hooted. Grinning apologetically, Tsunade fed the owl some bird tidbits Shizune had brought up along with a cup of water a while ago. Making a decision, Tsunade pressed the button on her intercom.

"Shizune?"

"Hai, Hokage-sama?"

"Bring me Nara Shikamaru."

* * *

The atmosphere in the castle for the rest of the weekend was tense. The guards patrolled everywhere, all business. They only allowed the students to be in the Great Hall, the Library, the bathrooms and their dormitories. Everywhere else were restricted, the halls were regularly patrolled, not allowing any loiterers. Quidditch practice was cancelled until next week, and anybody caught stepping a _foot_ outside the castle was immediately punished. Fred and George couldn't sit down for a few hours after their run-in with Kakashi when they attempted to sneak out. The twins said that Kakashi had performed something called One Thousand Years of Pain (it certainly felt like it, Fred had said), giving them the most powerful ass poke in the history of man-kind, and it literally drove them back into the castle, having flown a couple of meters from the technique's strength. No one had dared to even try to venture out of the castle again.

Despite the restrictions, Harry was feeling pretty good. He had caught up on his homework with Ron on Sunday morning. Also, knowing they were doing something to resist Umbridge and the Ministry, and that he was a key part of the rebellion, gave Harry a feeling of immense satisfaction.

Monday arrived. Harry and Ron walked down the stairs from their dormitory and were greeted by Kakashi. The guards had followed Harry back into the common room since Saturday, and had stayed there until Harry retired to the dormitories, then came back in the morning. As they stepped into the warm common room, a large sign caught their attention on the Gryffindor noticeboard. Hard not to really, it was so large it covered everything else on the board. The new sign was printed in large black letters and there was a highly official-looking seal at the bottom beside a neat and curly signature.

_BY ORDER OF THE HIGH INQUISITOR OF HOGWARTS_

_All student organizations, societies, teams, groups and clubs are henceforth disbanded._

_An organization, society, team, group or club is hereby defined as a regular meeting of three or more students._

_Permission to re-form may be sought from the High Inquisitor (Professor Umbridge)._

_No student organization, society, team, group or club may exist without the knowledge and approval of the High Inquisitor._

_Any student found to have formed, or to belong to, an organization, society, team, group or club that has not been approved by the High Inquisitor will be expelled._

_The above is in accordance with Educational Decree Number Twenty-four._

_Signed: Dolores Jane Umbridge, High Inquisitor_

Kakashi scratched his head and sighed. He had seen this notice earlier, and he bet he knew just what caused this impromptu decree. His lone eye slanted towards Harry and watched him balled his hands into fists.

"This isn't a coincidence," he said. "She knows."

"She can't," said Ron at once. Harry turned around to face his friend.

"There were people listening in that pub. Neji was right. And let's face it, we don't know how many of the people who turned up we can trust…any of them could have run off and told Umbridge…I wonder if Hermione's seen this yet?"

"Let's go and tell her," said Ron. Harry and Kakashi watched as Ron bounded forward pulled open the door and set off up the spiral staircase.

He was on the sixth stair when there was a loud, wailing, klaxon-like sound and the steps melted together to make a long, smooth stone slide like a helter-skelter. There was a brief moment when Ron tried to keep running, arms working madly like windmills, then he toppled over backwards and shot down the newly created slide, coming to rest on his back between Harry and Kakashi's feet. Ron blinked up at them. Kakashi's smiling face greeted him as he hauled the red hair up.

"I don't think boys are allowed in the girls' dormitories, Ronald."

"It's not fair!" Ron exclaimed to Harry, who was trying hard not to laugh. "Hermione's allowed in our dormitory, how come we're not allowed –?"

"Well, it's an old-fashioned rule," said Hermione who had just slide down the ramp and now stood in front of the boys. "But it says in _Hogwarts: A History_, that the founders thought boys were less trustworthy than girls. Anyway, why were you trying to get in there?"

"To see you – look at this!" said Ron, dragging her over to the noticeboard.

Hermione's eyes slid rapidly down the notice. Her expression became stony.

"Someone must have blabbed to her!" Ron said angrily.

"They can't have done," said Hermione in a low voice.

"You're so naïve," said Ron, "you think just because you're all honourable and trustworthy – "

"No, they can't have done, because I put a jinx on that piece of parchment we all signed," said Hermione grimly. "Believe me, if anyone's run off and told Umbridge, we'll know exactly who they are and they will really regret it."

Kakashi looked impressed.

"This magic of yours is really convenient." The jounin said. "And nice thinking too."

Hermione beamed. Just when they were about to go down to breakfast, Kakashi halted, listening to his headset. He replied shortly and looked at the teens. He summoned a shadow clone and explained.

"I have to take care of some business, in the mean time, my clone will go with you."

The clone waved.

"Alright, let's go down to the Hall now." The clone said.

"Eh? What's happening? Where are you going?" Ron asked as he was pushed towards the portrait hole with his friends.

"Just going to greet a guest." The original Kakashi replied and poofed out of sight.

* * *

"Lemon drop."

Kakashi waited for the stone gargoyle to let him in. The stone groaned and opened for him, the spiralling staircase making its slow ascend. The Copy Nin stepped onto a step and let it carried him up; stance slouched with his trusty copy of _Icha Icha Paradise_ in front of him – special edition and signed by Jiraiya himself!

When he had arrived at the landing, Kakashi opened the door without looking up from his book and let loose a giggle.

"Nice to see you haven't changed one bit, Kakashi-san." A lazy voice said.

Looking up, Kakashi graced the figure in front of him with a happy eye crease.

"Ah, Shikamaru, long time no see."

Nara Shikamaru was rubbing his neck, a hand in his pocket, eyebrows scrunched into a slight frown, eyes radiating annoyance.

"Che, troublesome…"

Kakashi stepped further into the room and saw someone next to the seated headmaster.

"Ah, Lupin-san," Kakashi blinked. "This is a pleasant surprise."

The tired werewolf smiled back.

"It's nice to see you again, Kakashi."

Dumbledore smiled at the Copy Nin from his desk.

"Mr. Nara here had just arrived with Remus a few minutes ago from Grimmauld Place. I believe he has something to deliver…?"

Shikamaru nodded and pulled a small scroll from his green jounin vest. He had ascended to the rank at the end of last year, due to his friends and teachers' urgings. It had been terribly troublesome. He was fine with being a chuunin, but Asuma, being the sneaky bastard, had entered him into the exam without him knowing. He could've easily forfeited, but like in the chuunin exam, Naruto had literally pushed him into the exam room.

Kakashi pocketed his beloved book and accepted the scroll from the lazy Nara. Opening it, he scanned the contents quickly. His stance froze. Posture straightening, dark gaze held Shikamaru's unwaveringly.

"Is this true?"

Shikamaru shrugged.

"To the best of our knowledge, yes. The chances of him being here is very high, all the evidence pointed this way."

The wizards sensed something was wrong the minute Kakashi had straightened. The werewolf and the old professor shared a worried glance.

"Is…_he_…with him?" Kakashi asked meaningfully.

Konoha's number one tactician wasn't a genius for nothing; he understood what the silver haired man meant immediately. There was a pause before Shikamaru shook his head negative.

"We believe him to still be in the Rock Country, at the newest base, where Jiraiya's spies had seen him last just a week ago."

Kakashi let out a silent breath, thankful that his former student hasn't decided to follow the Snake Sanin into this country. There's still the matter of how he got here though…

"Dumbledore-san."

"Yes, Kakashi?" The old wizard turned his blue gaze onto the tall ninja.

"How did you find out about us?"

"I've got records of your country. All are pretty vague, but I've figured it out after a few months." Dumbledore frowned slightly. "Why?"

"Would any other wizard in this world happen to know how to transport of our world also?" Kakashi pressed. He watched as the wizard thought for a while before his eyes widened. Remus had also paled at the Kakashi's implication.

"It can't be…" Lupin began.

Shikamaru's shrewd eyes rested on the two wizards.

"Would, by any chance, a wizard named Voldemort be able to travel to our world?"

Silence enveloped the room, only the soft crooning of Fawkes and the whirring of magical devices could be heard.

"It…is not impossible." Dumbledore said softly.

"Dumbledore-san, we would need as much information on this Voldemort and his Death Eaters." Kakashi's posture started to slouch again, his gloved hand inching closer to where he stored his book.

The headmaster of Hogwarts nodded his head sagely.

"I would have a copy of all the files on them ready in an hour."

Kakashi nodded and turned to Shikamaru.

"Come on then, let's get you to the others."

Shikamaru sighed.

"Troublesome."

* * *

Harry blinked when the clone of Kakashi poofed out. Professor McGonagall waved the smoke away irritably.

"Really, is that necessary?"

"Yo, Harry-kun."

Harry balanced Hedwig as he turned around and saw Kakashi (the real one) and another boy around the same age as Naruto walking down the corridor towards him. The boy has a hairstyle that reminded him of a pineapple.

"What are you doing out of class?" Kakashi asked.

"That was what I was going to ask Mr. Potter here." McGonagall sniffed and turned to Harry. "Well? You said it was urgent."

"I'm looking for Professor Grubbly-Plank," Harry explained. "It's my owl, she's injured."

"Injured owl, did you say?"

Professor Grubbly-Plank appeared at Professor McGonagall's shoulder, smoking a pipe and holding a copy of the _Daily Prophet_.

"Yes," said Harry, lifting Hedwig carefully off his shoulder, "she turned up after the other post owls and her wing's all funny, look–"

Professor Grubbly-Plank stuck her pipe firmly between her teeth and took Hedwig from Harry while Professor McGonagall and the two Konoha nins watched.

"Hmm," said Professor Grubbly-Plank, her pipe waggling slightly as she talked. "Looks like something's attacked her. Can't think what would have done it, though. Thestrals will sometimes go for birds, of course, but Hagrid's got the Hogwarts Thestrals well-trained not to touch owls."

Harry neither knew nor cared what Thestrals were; he just wanted to know that Hedwig was going to be all right. Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at Kakashi, who signalled that he'll inform the jounin of the magical creatures later. Professor McGonagall, however, looked sharply at Harry and said, "Do you know how far this owl's travelled, Potter?"

"Er," said Harry. "From London, I think."

Kakashi had a suspicion to where Harry had sent his owl, and judging by the way McGonagall's eyebrows had joined in the middle, so does she. 'London' had meant 'number twelve, Grimmauld Place'.

Professor Grubbly-Plank pulled a monocle out of the inside of her robes and screwed it into her eye, to examine Hedwig's wing closely. "I should be able to sort this out if you leave her with me, Potter," she said, "she shouldn't be flying long distances for a few days, in any case."

"Er – right – thanks," said Harry, just as the bell rang for break.

"No problem," said Professor Grubbly-Plank gruffly, turning back into the staff room.

"Just a moment, Wilhelmina!" said Professor McGonagall. "Potter's letter!"

"Oh yeah!" said Harry, who had momentarily forgotten the scroll tied to Hedwig's leg. Professor Grubbly-Plank handed it over and then disappeared into the staff room carrying Hedwig, who was staring at Harry as though unable to believe he would give her away like this. Feeling slightly guilty, he turned to go, but Professor McGonagall called him back.

"Potter!"

"Yes, Professor?"

She glanced up and down the corridor; there were students coming from both directions.

"Bear in mind," she said quickly and quietly, her eyes on the scroll in his hand, "that channels of communication–"

"Why, Minerva is something the matter?" A familiar voice said from the doorway of the staffroom.

Harry and the Transfiguration Professor turned. Shikamaru raised his eyebrows again at Kakashi, this time in incredulity. The squat figure of Professor Umbridge swathed in frilled black flower patterned robes stood in front of the open door.

"Nothing, Dolores, just helping Potter here," Professor answered with a straight face. Turning, she made a shooing motion with her hands at Harry. "Well, off you go now, Potter, don't want to be late for your next class."

Without waiting for a reply, Professor McGonagall retreated back into the staff room, leaving a confused Harry to be swept out into the courtyard with Kakashi and Shikamaru by the crowd of students. Looking back, Harry saw Umbridge looking suspiciously at the new guard before re-entering after Professor McGonagall.

Harry turned to his guards, confused. Kakashi read the teen's confused expression correctly and took it upon himself to finish what the Transfiguration professor was about to say.

"She was warning you to be wary about what you communicate, through owl or by other means." Kakashi said, dark eyes landing on the figures of Ron and Hermione in the courtyard, standing in a sheltered corner with their cloak collars turned up against the wind. "Channels of communication in and out of Hogwarts have a high chance of being watched."

Harry nodded and moved his attention to his message. He slit open the scroll and read the untidy scrawl of Sirius's handwriting.

_Today, same time, same place_

"Is Hedwig okay?" asked Hermione anxiously, the moment Harry and the shinobis were within earshot.

"Where did you take her?" asked Ron while shooting a glance at the yawning Shikamaru. "And who's that?"

"To Grubbly-Plank," said Harry. He looked at Shikamaru who was now scratching his head in curiosity. "And I'm not sure who that is yet…anyway, I met McGonagall…listen…"

As he told them what Professor McGonagall had said (or would have said before Umbridge interrupted), Kakashi turned to Shikamaru.

"Go find one of the others for now, they'll explain in more detail. I believe Sakura is around the green houses today."

Shikamaru heaved a sigh, but obeyed, vanishing out of sight and followed Sakura's chakra signature. Kakashi nodded to himself and turned his attention back to his charges.

"…the letter from anyway?" Ron was asking, taking the note from Harry.

"Snuffles," Harry said quietly. Kakashi choked back a laugh. He couldn't imagine Sirius be called 'Snuffles' in his dog form.

"'Same time, same place?' Does he mean the fire in the common room?"

"Obviously," said Hermione, also reading the note. She looked uneasy. "I just hope nobody else has read this…"

"But it was still sealed and everything," said Harry, trying to convince himself as much as her. "And nobody would understand what it meant if they didn't know where we'd spoken to him before, would they?"

"It is easy for someone to re-seal the scroll – by magic or otherwise." Kakashi said, startling the trio. "And if anyone's been watching this floo network of yours, the person who read the note would make a guess and be on watch tonight."

The trio looked uneasy. They shared a worried look as the bell rang. They trudged towards the dungeons to their Potions lesson.

* * *

"Shikamaru!" Sakura exclaimed in surprise when the jounin touched down lightly next to her. "What are you doing here?"

"Coming to this mission – earlier than expected might I add." The shadow master grumbled the last part.

Sakura leaned against the walls of green house 6, a grin on her face.

"Aw, I'm hurt – don't you want to spend time with us?" She batted her eyelashes for effect.

Shikamaru's mood turned sombre. He handed her a scroll which Kakashi had read previously in the headmaster's office. Curious, Sakura opened the scroll and started reading. Her face paled at a paragraph.

"O–Orochimaru?" Sakura's emerald orbs snapped up, searching an answer in Shikamaru's dark eyes. "Was he –…?"

"No, he's in Rock."

Sakura sighed in relief. She wouldn't know what she would do if Sasuke was here with the Snake Sanin – here – with the chaos of magic and Lord Voldemort around. She raised her eyes and stared shrewdly at Shikamaru.

"So then, let me guess…Kakashi sent you here for me to explain to you about the situation?"

Shikamaru nodded reluctantly. Sakura giggled.

"Makes sense. The only other person outside is Naruto. I doubt you would want a detailed explanation of all things magical from _him_." Sakura sat down and patted the spot next to her despite the cold and the slight drizzle of rain. "Let's get started then."


End file.
